Albany man arraigned following ride with woman on the hood of car

Albany police said they charged a driver on June 2 after a woman was seen on his hood as he drove at a high speed.

ALBANY — The 20-year-old Albany man accused of driving his car as a woman clung to the hood Friday was arraigned in city court Saturday with reckless endangerment.

He pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charge and an order of protection was also issued for the woman involved. State Police later confirmed he was arraigned on additional charges.

Albany police said they responded at about 12:15 p.m. Friday to the area of Henry Johnson Boulevard and Livingston Avenue for reports of a man driving a blue Chevrolet Cavalier with a woman on the hood. Shortly afterward they found the car unattended in the area of First and Judson streets. A Facebook post on Two Buttons Deep appears to show the alleged incident.

The driver was located nearby and taken into custody. Police said they determined the driver was speeding in the area of Henry Johnson Boulevard and Livingston Avenue while the 19-year-old woman was on the hood. It was unclear if the woman was a willing participant.

"Regardless whether she got on the hood willingly or not his actions were reckless," Albany police spokesperson Steven Smith said. Smith said police contacted the woman Friday and confirmed she was unharmed.

The charge does not qualify for setting bail, but the Albany County district attorney's office asked that the man be put on probation, noting past offenses including a reckless endangerment charge in January and a felony charge for criminal possession of stolen property last September.

The man's attorney argued he had ties to the area, and was looking for stable employment and was enrolled at Hudson Valley Community College after being released from jail for a separate offense. Judge Joshua Farrell ruled the man would be under pre-trial supervision with electronic monitoring for the next 60 days.

A conference is scheduled for July 5 in city court.

State Police late Saturday said they charged the driver with three counts of first-degree reckless endangerment and three counts of first-degree unlawful imprisonment, saying he was also traveling on I-787 in Colonie early Friday afternoon with the woman on the hood. He was jailed after his arraignment Saturday on $20,000 bail, troopers said.