Miles-long chase ends in drug arrests, sheriff’s office says

Two men who had been shooting heroin in a truck parked on Route 25A in Mount Sinai face charges after the Suffolk County sheriff’s office said they crashed their vehicle into three unmarked police cars and caused another vehicle to overturn during a five-mile chase.

There were no injuries in the Monday afternoon incident, according to the sheriff’s office.

Michael Sharkey, the sheriff’s chief of staff, said the chase started shortly before 1:30 p.m. after authorities assigned to a sheriff’s department and Suffolk County district attorney’s office joint heroin task force found Thomas Donahue, 27, of Lake Ronkonkoma, and Brady Bark, 23, of Port Jefferson, shooting heroin in a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado.

Donahue was sitting behind the wheel, he said.

The two were spotted by members of the task force traveling in unmarked cars who “target locations known for drug trafficking,” Sharkey said.

Officers in three cars left their vehicles to arrest the pair, Sharkey said, but Donahue “did a maneuver” to escape that involved ramming into all three vehicles.

Donahue drove onto westbound Route 25A, where he pulled out in front of a civilian vehicle, which then struck his truck, Sharkey said. Donahue continued west on Route 25A, then turned south on Route 83, where he let Bark out of the vehicle at Middle Country Road in Selden, Sharkey said. Bark was arrested there, he said.

Sharkey said as Donahue was driving on Route 83, the tailgate of his truck fell off “from all the damage,” causing another civilian vehicle to overturn on the shoulder of the road as it swerved to avoid the item.

Sharkey said Donahue continued west on Route 25 before heading south on County Road 97 into Farmingville and then west on Portion Road in Holtsville for about two blocks where officers were able to stop and arrest him, Sharkey said.

The two men were charged with unlawful fleeing, possession of a controlled dangerous substance, criminal possession of a controlled dangerous substance, unlawful possession of a hypodermic needle, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief, officials said. Donahue also was charged with driving while impaired by drugs.