CRANSTON, R.I. (WPRI) — Newly released dashcam video shows the moment a man initiated a high-speed chase after allegedly stealing a Ferrari late last month.
Johnathan Costa, 19, was arrested in Florida three days after police said he robbed a Cranston home at gunpoint. His suspected accomplice, 18-year-old Logan Slezak, turned himself in hours later after police realized he wasn't in the car with Costa.
Officers were called to a Crest Drive home on Aug. 24 to investigate reports of an armed robbery. The victims told police that two masked men with handguns had barged into their home and demanded the keys to their two cars — a Ferrari 488 Spider convertible and a Chevrolet Corvette.
Police said the suspects led at least one of the victims throughout the home at gunpoint while searching for the keys. Both men eventually got into the Ferrari and took off, leaving the Corvette behind.
The stolen Ferrari was clocked by an automated license plate reader in the city the next day, prompting Cranston police to broadcast a statewide BOLO (be on the lookout) alert to law enforcement agencies.
The Ferrari wasn't seen again until Aug. 26, when a Rhode Island State Police trooper spotted it flying down I-95 South in Warwick.
The driver, later identified as Costa, refused to stop and led the trooper on a high-speed chase toward Connecticut. Dashcam footage from the trooper's cruiser shows Costa weaving in and out of traffic and using the breakdown lane to illegally pass other vehicles.
An incident report obtained by 12 News revealed the pursuit reached speeds of more than 130 mph, with Costa consistently driving at least 30 mph over the speed limit.
The trooper called off the chase near the exit for Route 102 in North Kingstown after losing sight of the Ferrari.
New York State Police attempted to stop Costa later that same night, but were unsuccessful. He was eventually tracked to a home in Palm Coast, Florida, where the car was found hidden underneath a tarp.
Costa, who's facing a laundry list of charges and citations, remains behind bars in Florida and is awaiting extradition to Rhode Island. Slezak was also ordered held without bail.