Guy Steals Car, Robs Macy’s, Drives Onto Runway at Albany Airport [PHOTOS]
Update 12:26pm: Colonie Police have released a mugshot of Tyler Meltz.
Update 12:07pm: Police have arrested 27 year old Tyler Meltz of Hillsdale. Early reports were that he used a gun in the attempted robbery at Macy's, police have clarified it was a knife.
Meltz apparently has a lengthy criminal record and has outstanding warrants with police in Rotterdam, Greenport, and the Columbia County Sheriff's office.
What a crime spree. Cops say a man stole a car at Stewart's on Albany-Shaker Road around 2 o'clock Thursday afternoon.
Not long after they responded to reports of an armed robbery at Macy's in Colonie Center. They say the man displayed what appeared to be a gun at the jewelry counter and attempted to steal jewelry.
He took off in what appeared to be the car pictured above. He was located driving on Wolf Road, leading to a chase where the man drove off onto Old Niskayuna Road and through a fence onto a runway at Albany International Airport.
He then drove through ANOTHER fence and wound up ditching the car in the Pepsi bottling plant parking lot. Police nabbed him shortly after.
Wow. All in one afternoon. They haven't said who the man is yet, but it's probably a sure bet that the list of charges is going to be pretty lengthy. Luckily the airport runway was inactive. No flights had to be delayed or diverted and nobody was injured.
Colonie Police say its still an active investigation and are asking anyone who might have any information that might be relevant to reach out to them, which you can do anonymously through capitalregioncrimestoppers.org.
If you were anywhere in that area Thursday and saw the commotion, well, this is what it was. Crews at the airport have temporarily put up a concrete barrier where the man drove through the fence and are working to repair the damage.
Colonie Center released a statement showing their appreciation to the police in their handling of the matter:
Thank you to our local police for their timely response to today’s incident. The safety and security of our guests, employees and retailers remains our top priority. This matter is currently under investigation.
[NewsChannel 13] [CBS 6]