A 31-year-old man was arrested on burglary charges Sunday after falling 50 feet from a tree during an attempt to evade police, officials said.
Riverhead resident Joseph Barwick was admitted to Stony Brook University Medical Center to be treated for injuries to his legs and back, Suffolk County Police spokesman Jeremy Samuelson said.
Barwick led police on a high-speed chase in a stolen car after burglarizing two liquor stores in Kings Park, police said.
The chase ended when the suspect crashed the car in a wooded area of Smithtown. He fled the area on foot, but police later found him hiding in a tree. He tumbled to the ground after losing his footing as he tried to climb higher in the tree.
Barwick faces charges of second-degree burglary and criminal possession of stolen property.
Samuelson said he did not know if Barwick had retained an attorney.
