A 33-year-old Schenectady man is facing a felony weapons charge after police say he displayed a handgun during a two-vehicle crash in Albany last Friday night, then fled the scene, only to be tracked down and arrested at Crossgates Mall in Guilderland. Maurice S. Fitzgerald now faces charges including criminal possession of a weapon, menacing, and leaving the scene of a personal injury accident.
According to Newport Dispatch, Albany police officers responded around 8:10 p.m. last Friday to the area of Columbia Circle West and South Frontage Road after receiving reports of a personal injury crash. Police say a male driver displayed what appeared to be a handgun, menaced the other driver involved, and then left the scene before officers arrived. The other driver, a 44-year-old, complained of knee pain and was treated at the scene by Albany Fire Department and emergency medical personnel, per the same report.
The Columbia Circle West and South Frontage Road area sits along the Washington Avenue Extension commercial corridor, roughly a mile east of Crossgates Mall across the Guilderland town line, according to PropertyShark. That short stretch of road turned out to matter: the Guilderland Police Department located the suspect and his vehicle at the mall and took Fitzgerald into custody, the report states.
Search Warrant Turns Up Loaded Handgun
Once Fitzgerald was in Guilderland custody, Albany police executed a search warrant on his vehicle and recovered a loaded handgun, per Newport Dispatch's reporting. The case required cooperation across town lines, with the initial crash and brandishing investigation falling under Albany Police jurisdiction while Guilderland officers took the suspect into custody, according to the Albany Police Department.
Fitzgerald was charged with one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, one count of menacing in the second degree, and one count of leaving the scene of a personal injury accident, the report notes. He was scheduled to be arraigned in Albany City Criminal Court Saturday morning.
What the Charges Actually Carry
Criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree is a Class C violent felony under New York Penal Law, carrying a three-year minimum sentence and a maximum of up to 15 years in state prison upon conviction, according to a legal explainer from Riebling & Payton, PLLC. The statute applies to possessing a loaded firearm outside one's home or business without a valid license.
Menacing in the second degree, meanwhile, is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to 364 days in jail or probation, according to FindLaw. That charge applies when someone intentionally places another person in reasonable fear of physical injury by displaying a weapon, and it does not require any physical contact or that the gun actually be fired. Leaving the scene of an injury crash without reporting it is also a Class A misdemeanor for a first offense under Vehicle and Traffic Law, per the New York State Unified Court System, since drivers who know or have reason to know someone was injured are required to stop and present their credentials.
Albany police were busy with an unrelated case over the same weekend, arresting 31-year-old Devin S. Brewington on Saturday in connection with multiple assaults after online video recordings alerted detectives to the incidents, per the department. Other defendants arrested within city limits typically face arraignment in Albany City Criminal Court within 24 hours of arrest.
The crash adds to a heavy annual tally of collisions in the area. Albany County records an average of roughly 8,800 motor vehicle crashes each year, with about 3,000 of those occurring within Albany's municipal boundaries, according to data from the Porter Law Group. The city reduced its citywide speed limit to 25 mph on most roadways in January 2025 as part of a broader push to curb serious injury collisions.
