Bank Robbery Suspect, Troopers Rescued From Ravine After Chase

ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY — Two New York State troopers were injured chasing a bank robbery suspect through a ravine in Stony Point Friday night.

State and local police were looking for a suspect who had robbed a bank in Goshen at about 5 p.m. They were also looking for the car the suspect was believed to be driving, a Honda Civic that had been carjacked in Newburgh at 3:30 p.m.

At 9:42 p.m. troopers located the car at Long Mountain Circle. The driver sped away from an attempted stop and south down the northbound lanes of the Palisades Interstate Parkway.

Northbound traffic was stopped with the assistance of several Rockland County police agencies, state police said. The Civic eventually cut across the median and continued south in the southbound lanes exiting at exit 14 onto Willow Grove Road.

Then the suspect got out of the vehicle and ran down an embankment into a deep ravine, followed by police.

A state police officer saw the suspect dump money in the woods, police said. The trooper along with two Stony Point officers caught the suspect as he was running through a stream.

During the pursuit, two troopers were injured, police said.

The Thiells Fire Department and Rockland Technical Rescue Team were called in to assist. Teams went down more than 100 feet into the ravine to pull the two troopers and the suspect out.

The two troopers were taken to Nyack Hospital where they were treated and released, police said.

The suspect was also transported to Nyack Hospital where he was charged by the state police and then handed over to Village of Goshen Police. The money was secured and turned over Goshen police as well.

The suspect was identified as Leonard Dolson, 45 from Beekman, NY.

State police charged him with Criminal Possession of Stolen Property 4th degree and Reckless Endangerment 1st degree, both felonies. He was additionally charged with DWI, Reckless Driving, and Fleeing a Police in a Motor Vehicle, all misdemeanors.