A maniac from the Bronx was busted for driving a BMW the wrong way on the Thruway upstate — at more than 100 mph with no lights on about 3:30 in the morning, state police said Monday.
A trooper first spotted Julio A. Romano-Baez, 33, of Creston Avenue early Sunday behind the wheel of the black Bimmer driving north on Interstate 87 near Saugerties at 113 mph.
“That was an extremely high, extremely unsafe speed,” said Trooper Jason Jones.
Cops finally caught up to him at the Malden service area, but he refused to stop and brazenly sped off heading south in the northbound lanes, cops said.
State Police followed him, heading south in the southbound lanes with sirens blaring and emergency lights flashing to warn oncoming northbound traffic.
After speeding more than a mile in the wrong direction, Romano-Baez suddenly pulled a U-turn and started heading north again, gaining a fresh lead on the pursuing cops.
The speed demon then tried to leave the Thurway by driving over the grass and behind several nearby businesses.
Troopers had set up a roadblock ahead, but Romano-Baez wasn’t prepared to surrender, turning around and again heading south in the northbound lanes, cops said.
But he then lost control of the car, crashing it into a guardrail and causing another car to slam on the brakes to avoid a collision, before taking off on foot.
A state police K-9 Unit arrived to track the suspect, who was finally located about 4:15 a.m.
Romano-Baez was charged with first-degree reckless endangerment, a felony, along with misdemeanor charges of fleeing a police officer and criminal mischief, and numerous traffic violations.
The suspect was arraigned in the Town of New Baltimore Court and remained behind bars at the Green County Jail in Catskill on $20,000 cash bail or $40,000 bond.