Good Samaritan tow-truck operator chases, then nabs hit-run driver

Florescu for News

Tow-truck driver Peter Dinome chased Michael Fennell for 8 miles after seeing him plow into a pedestrian in the Bronx and take off.

A Good Samaritan tow-truck operator chased a hit-and-run driver for nearly 8 miles through the Bronx, desperately weaving in and out of traffic as he tried to catch the suspect, police and witnesses said Tuesday.

The high-speed pursuit - which came after the second hit-and-run accident on Bruckner Blvd. in as many days - finally ended when Peter Dinome was able to cut off the fleeing sedan and hold its driver for cops.

"I tried dragging him out of the car, [and] I took his keys," said Dinome yesterday. "He started crying, breaking down."

"I said, 'Did you realize what you just did?'" Dinome recalled. "'He said, 'I'm sorry, I panicked, I didn't know what to do.'"

The driver, Michael Fennell, was charged with leaving the scene of an accident with an injury, police said.

Investigators charged that Fennell was driving east on Bruckner Blvd. in Pelham Bay when he slammed into pedestrian Braulio Lopez-Cruz, who was trying to cross the street.

Lopez-Cruz, 40, was thrown almost a dozen feet before landing on the asphalt, while Fennell's Nissan Maxima never slowed down, police said.

Dinome, 20, followed in his Co-op City Towing and Collision truck, staying close behind the black sedan even as it took the on-ramp onto I-95 North only to exit in the other direction a few moments later.

"At times I was going 120, 130, I was moving," said Dinome, adding that Fennell drove the wrong direction down several one-way streets while trying to lose him.

Dinome, who had a friend call 911 to give police updates on the pursuit, finally caught up with the Maxima at the intersection of Willow Lane and Westchester Ave., just a few blocks from where their chase began.

"I couldn't let someone die right before my eyes and let him get away," said Dinome. "I'm not a hero - I just did a thing that I thought was right."

Lopez-Cruz was listed in serious but stable condition at Jacobi Medical Center and is expected to recover, police said.

Dinome said a traffic camera caught him running a red light, but the cop who arrested Fennell said he would pay for Dinome's ticket. "All the cops were patting me on the back," Dinome said.

A police source applauded Dinome for his help but said witnesses should call cops and not give chase on their own.

Meanwhile, cops are still hunting for the Lincoln Town Car that mowed down Octavio Reyes, 58, early Monday morning. Reyes is listed in critical condition.

epearson@nydailynews.com