Albany police have arrested a Watervliet man in connection with the dirt bike hit-and-run that seriously injured a University at Albany student in April.
18-year-old Alexa Kropf was walking with friends along Hudson Avenue the night of April 26 when she was struck and seriously injured by an illegal dirt bike moving at a high rate of speed. Her companions said the rider, knocked off his bike by the collision, made an obscene gesture toward them, hopped back on and rode away into the night.
Police say an investigation showed 25-year-old Austin Breyette was operating the bike that hit Kropf. He was arrested Thursday and faces a number of charges and traffic violations.
Illegal off-road vehicles have plagued the city for years, and the incident led to a renewed effort to remove the vehicles from city streets including by Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple.
“We're going to continue to target them. Enough is enough and it shouldn't have gotten, it shouldn't went on this long. But you know, everybody over the last couple of years was like, ‘No, don't chase ‘em. Somebody can get hurt.’ Well somebody is hurt. Somebody that had nothing to do with a dirt bike or an illegal street bike, and that person now is struggling to get back on her feet,” said Apple.
Kropf's injuries were so severe she was initially placed in a medically induced coma from which she has since awakened. Her father Jim tells WNYT she faces a long recovery. “She's getting there. Not quite there yet. She’s putting some sentences together and some words together. Do they always make sense? No, unfortunately, but she does recognize people and who we are, which is, which is nice to see. It's confusing though for us, for her to not always make the connection. And I'm sure it's very frustrating for her as well,” Knopf said.
Apple says deputies have seized 29 illegal dirt bikes and off-road vehicles in the City of Albany in recent weeks.
In 2021 Mayor Kathy Sheehan signed legislation banning ATVs and dirt bikes from city streets and parks.
“We have cameras all over the city and our detectives have been tirelessly pursuing this case, and tracking down the individual that we believe is responsible for this horrific act," said Sheehan. "We have continued to confiscate mopeds, the sheriff is also confiscating and taking these illegal bikes, dirt bikes, and ATVs off the streets. And so we have passed a law banning these vehicles in the city of Albany and on any public street or in any public park. It's not always possible to make an arrest immediately on the spot. If somebody flees, we don't want to endanger the public, but we do monitor the activity of that dirt bike and when it is safe, we have had very successful efforts going in making arrests, issuing tickets. And in this case, obviously, felonies are being charged so that we can ensure that people understand this is not the place to be riding illegal dirt bikes and ATVs.”
Sheehan believes some of the riders store dirt bikes an ATVs in garages and other buildings in locations scattered throughout the city. She says if YOU see dirt bikes on the streets, call 911.
“You can also call Crimestoppers. If you go to the city website, you can also download SeeClickFix and if you want to report something through SeeClickFix, if it's not an active thing that you're seeing, but you're aware that for example, dirt bikes and ATVs are being stored in a garage, you can provide that information on SeeClickFix. So really any method that, you know, people feel comfortable with, you know, we encourage you to reach out,” Sheehan said.
City Police Chief Eric Hawkins says Breyette's arrest demonstrates the department will use every resource available to pursue anyone who commits acts of violence.
