Five Years Ago Today:
'Bucky' Shoots First of Three Troopers
By ANNE HOLLIDAY
WESB/WBRR News Director
It was 5 years ago today that the hunt for Ralph “Bucky” Phillips went into high gear when he shot the first of three state troopers during the largest manhunt in New York state history.
Phillips escaped from the Erie County Correctional Facility in Alden on April 2, 2006, and was being sought by police for not only the escape but for the burglary of an Ellington, New York, gun store, where 41 guns were taken.
Some of those guns were eventually recovered at the Ludlow home of Todd Nelson. Nelson was charged with hindering the apprehension of Phillips and harboring a fugitive and was sentenced to 6 to 12 months in prison.
But it was on June 10, 2006, that the search effort heated up. It was that day that Phillips shot and wounded state trooper Sean Brown during a traffic stop near Elmira, New York.
Phillips was on the run for three more months throughout Western New York and McKean and Warren counties. The then-fugitive was helped by numerous people besides Nelson, and also broke into unoccupied hunting cabins in New York and Pennsylvania. He stole about 15 vehicles, including a pickup truck from Limestone, New York, and a car from Sheffield.
The elusive Phillips prompted police to set up roadblocks and checkpoints along several roads in the region, including Route 219 just north of Limestone.
Phillips was spotted in Warren County in the early morning hours of September 8, 2006, after stealing another car. Phillips crashed the car at the intersection of Hatch Run and Scandia roads, then fled on foot, stole another vehicle about 20 minutes later and was spotted by state troopers in Carroll, New York, a few hours later. He got out of the car and disappeared into the woods.
At around 9 a.m. a New York State Police K-9 handler spotted Phillips and fired multiple rounds at him. Command posts were then set up at the Russell Fire Department and in Carroll, New York, and the day-long hunt near the border of Chautauqua and Warren counties involving dozens of police agencies and hundreds of law enforcement officers began.*
At dusk Warren County Sheriff’s Deputy John Zingone spotted Phillips and called for backup. Shortly after that a police helicopter flew directly over Phillips, who came out of the woods with his hands in the air.
The surrender, however, came a week after he shot state troopers Joseph Longobardo and Donald Baker Jr. who were staking out Phillilps’ ex-girlfriend’s house in Pomfret, New York. Longobardo died several days later at what was then Hamot Medical Center in Erie.
Brown and Baker are still working as state troopers.
Phillips is serving a sentence of life plus 40 years at the Clinton County Correctional Facilty in Dannemora, New York.
Earlier this year, Phillips withdrew his civil lawsuit against Chautauqua County Sheriff Joseph Gerace and Chemung County Sheriff Chris Moss, who he claimed had violated his civil rights when in was jailed in Mayville and Elmira.
* WESB/WBRR was the only McKean County media outlet on the scene in Carroll, New York, and received an award for their coverage.
WESB/WBRR News Director
It was 5 years ago today that the hunt for Ralph “Bucky” Phillips went into high gear when he shot the first of three state troopers during the largest manhunt in New York state history.
Phillips escaped from the Erie County Correctional Facility in Alden on April 2, 2006, and was being sought by police for not only the escape but for the burglary of an Ellington, New York, gun store, where 41 guns were taken.
Some of those guns were eventually recovered at the Ludlow home of Todd Nelson. Nelson was charged with hindering the apprehension of Phillips and harboring a fugitive and was sentenced to 6 to 12 months in prison.
But it was on June 10, 2006, that the search effort heated up. It was that day that Phillips shot and wounded state trooper Sean Brown during a traffic stop near Elmira, New York.
Phillips was on the run for three more months throughout Western New York and McKean and Warren counties. The then-fugitive was helped by numerous people besides Nelson, and also broke into unoccupied hunting cabins in New York and Pennsylvania. He stole about 15 vehicles, including a pickup truck from Limestone, New York, and a car from Sheffield.
The elusive Phillips prompted police to set up roadblocks and checkpoints along several roads in the region, including Route 219 just north of Limestone.
Phillips was spotted in Warren County in the early morning hours of September 8, 2006, after stealing another car. Phillips crashed the car at the intersection of Hatch Run and Scandia roads, then fled on foot, stole another vehicle about 20 minutes later and was spotted by state troopers in Carroll, New York, a few hours later. He got out of the car and disappeared into the woods.
At around 9 a.m. a New York State Police K-9 handler spotted Phillips and fired multiple rounds at him. Command posts were then set up at the Russell Fire Department and in Carroll, New York, and the day-long hunt near the border of Chautauqua and Warren counties involving dozens of police agencies and hundreds of law enforcement officers began.*
At dusk Warren County Sheriff’s Deputy John Zingone spotted Phillips and called for backup. Shortly after that a police helicopter flew directly over Phillips, who came out of the woods with his hands in the air.
The surrender, however, came a week after he shot state troopers Joseph Longobardo and Donald Baker Jr. who were staking out Phillilps’ ex-girlfriend’s house in Pomfret, New York. Longobardo died several days later at what was then Hamot Medical Center in Erie.Brown and Baker are still working as state troopers.
Phillips is serving a sentence of life plus 40 years at the Clinton County Correctional Facilty in Dannemora, New York.
Earlier this year, Phillips withdrew his civil lawsuit against Chautauqua County Sheriff Joseph Gerace and Chemung County Sheriff Chris Moss, who he claimed had violated his civil rights when in was jailed in Mayville and Elmira.
* WESB/WBRR was the only McKean County media outlet on the scene in Carroll, New York, and received an award for their coverage.
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