Attempted Carjacking Near State Vaccination Site in Johnson City

A man is in custody after he allegedly jumped into a vehicle near the Binghamton University Library Annex and ordered the driver to take him to Elmira.

Authorities say 28-year-old Matthew Longwell of Elmira was taken into custody a short time later at a nearby Route 17 interchange.

Investigators say a man hopped into the back seat of a car that was stopped at a traffic light at CFJ Boulevard and Airport Road around 10 a.m. Wednesday.

A carjacking attempt occurred near the Binghamton University Library Annex in Johnson City on June 2, 2021. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

The would-be carjacker demanded the driver - a man in his 70s - head to Elmira. But the driver drove to the Binghamton University annex where a state Covid-19 vaccinate site is located.

The suspect demanded the car keys but he was unable to get them. He then fled on foot to the expressway just north of the scene.

Sheriff David Harder said Longwell had checked himself out of a town of Dickinson rehab facility and apparently wanted to go home. He was apprehended and then held at Broome County Jail.

Harder said the vehicle driver was "shaken up" but was not injured in the incident.

Police say a man tried to commandeer a vehicle stopped at the intersection of Airport Road and CFJ Boulevard. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)