Suspect jumps into Freeport canal to evade officers

A burglary suspect jumped into the water in Freeport in an attempt to evade police officers, and the incident was captured on video. Police say they were pursuing Nikolas Balalaos on Saturday. He was

News 12 Staff

Jul 19, 2015, 7:17 PM

Updated 3,370 days ago

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A burglary suspect jumped into the water in Freeport in an attempt to evade police officers, and the incident was captured on video.
Police say they were pursuing Nikolas Balalaos on Saturday. He was wanted on suspicion of burglarizing a bar back in April.
Officers attempted to stop him on Atlantic Avenue when he fled on foot, and police say Balalaos eventually jumped into a canal. A News 12 Long Island viewer sent in video of the incident.
"I heard a splash," recalls witness Bill Murphy, of Freeport. "I looked down, and I see a guy jump into the water. I see a cop going, 'Get out of the water, get out of the water!' So we ran over, and he was swimming across the canal."
Police say a boater gave detectives a lift, and they were able to take Balalaos into custody.