PARMA, Ohio -- Jennifer Giannetti says she and her boyfriend, Dale Anderson, were on Ridge Road in Parma after visiting a relative.
She says they merged into a left lane because police had another car pulled over.
Officers at the time were just finishing with that other stop and as Anderson turned back into the right hand lane -- police pulled him over too.
Video from the patrol car camera shows Anderson stopping initially then taking off.
"He looked at me and said, baby I'm going to go to jail, I gotta run." Giannetti tells Fox 8 News.
That's when she says she reached over and forced the car in park.
The video shows their car suddenly jerking to a stop, but within seconds it takes off again heading south on Ridge Road into North Royalton at speeds that police say approached 80 miles an hour. The pursuit continued through Parma, and in excess of 100 miles an hour at times through North Royalton.
"I was...just stop... I even opened the door but I couldn't get my seat belt unhooked. It got caught somehow," Giannetti explains through tears.
As the chase continues, police video shows Anderson running red lights. At one point a motorcycle rider is forced to cross the center line to keep from being hit.
"I kept yelling and screaming at him, 'just stop! I'm scared,' and he said trust me." says Giannetti.
Parma Detective Marty Compton says police officers would likely have called off the chase in the daytime, but under the circumstances felt they were not placing anyone else in danger and could see that there was a passenger who was trying to get the car stopped.
"It was safe to say that the officer didn't feel that he was jeopardizing the safety of anybody else going after this guy, he's got two people in the vehicle and all indications are that the female passenger is basically begging him to get out of the vehicle," said Detective Compton.
In North Royalton, the car turns west onto Julia Drive where it suddenly vanishes in a stand of evergreens, going airborne and crashing into the back patio of a home on Gordon Street. The impact crushed a wrought iron love seat just short of crashing into the kitchen.
Giannetti says Anderson told her "lets go" but she couldn't get her door open.
"He took of running, jumped a fence and the next thing I know -- the car is smoking," she tells Fox 8 News, adding that she was pounding on the window for help as police came to the car.
Officer Thomas O'Grady made the decision to stay with her rather than chase Anderson.
She was taken to Parma Hospital where her mother says police told her Jennifer is fortunate to be alive.
North Royalton Police arrested Anderson about five hours later. He was also taken to a hospital and faces charges that include felony fleeing and abduction for forcing Giannetti along for the ride.
Police speculate he decided to run because he was just recently released from jail on bond because of a pending rape charge, and also he has a suspended license.
Jennifer's mother Kelly Giannetti says she is proud of Officer O'Grady for doing everything to take care of her daughter, and believes Anderson deserves everything he gets.
"If you want to play God -- do it to yourself -- not to somebody else."
She says they merged into a left lane because police had another car pulled over.
Officers at the time were just finishing with that other stop and as Anderson turned back into the right hand lane -- police pulled him over too.
Video from the patrol car camera shows Anderson stopping initially then taking off.
"He looked at me and said, baby I'm going to go to jail, I gotta run." Giannetti tells Fox 8 News.
That's when she says she reached over and forced the car in park.
The video shows their car suddenly jerking to a stop, but within seconds it takes off again heading south on Ridge Road into North Royalton at speeds that police say approached 80 miles an hour. The pursuit continued through Parma, and in excess of 100 miles an hour at times through North Royalton.
"I was...just stop... I even opened the door but I couldn't get my seat belt unhooked. It got caught somehow," Giannetti explains through tears.
As the chase continues, police video shows Anderson running red lights. At one point a motorcycle rider is forced to cross the center line to keep from being hit.
"I kept yelling and screaming at him, 'just stop! I'm scared,' and he said trust me." says Giannetti.
Parma Detective Marty Compton says police officers would likely have called off the chase in the daytime, but under the circumstances felt they were not placing anyone else in danger and could see that there was a passenger who was trying to get the car stopped.
"It was safe to say that the officer didn't feel that he was jeopardizing the safety of anybody else going after this guy, he's got two people in the vehicle and all indications are that the female passenger is basically begging him to get out of the vehicle," said Detective Compton.
In North Royalton, the car turns west onto Julia Drive where it suddenly vanishes in a stand of evergreens, going airborne and crashing into the back patio of a home on Gordon Street. The impact crushed a wrought iron love seat just short of crashing into the kitchen.
Giannetti says Anderson told her "lets go" but she couldn't get her door open.
"He took of running, jumped a fence and the next thing I know -- the car is smoking," she tells Fox 8 News, adding that she was pounding on the window for help as police came to the car.
Officer Thomas O'Grady made the decision to stay with her rather than chase Anderson.
She was taken to Parma Hospital where her mother says police told her Jennifer is fortunate to be alive.
North Royalton Police arrested Anderson about five hours later. He was also taken to a hospital and faces charges that include felony fleeing and abduction for forcing Giannetti along for the ride.
Police speculate he decided to run because he was just recently released from jail on bond because of a pending rape charge, and also he has a suspended license.
Jennifer's mother Kelly Giannetti says she is proud of Officer O'Grady for doing everything to take care of her daughter, and believes Anderson deserves everything he gets.
"If you want to play God -- do it to yourself -- not to somebody else."
