Molotov cocktail NYPD
© Dan Herrick for NY PostThe intersection of Snyder Avenue and 55th Street where a car crashed into a parked car after allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at a police officer during a traffic stop.
An unhinged motorist threw a caustic chemical at an NYPD officer during a traffic stop Saturday morning in Brooklyn — and then hurled a lit Molotov cocktail at another cop who stopped him when he tried to escape, police said.

The terrifying episode unfolded shortly before 8 a.m. at Clarendon Road and East 45th Street in East Flatbush, when cops stopped a 44-year-old man who was driving a gray 2000 Lincoln Town Car, police said.

When one of the officers approached the driver's side door, the man threw the contents of a cup holding a "caustic liquid substance" in the cop's face, and then sped off, police said.


Responding cops spotted the Town Car on Snyder Avenue near Kings Highway, and when they pulled up behind him, the man stopped the car, got out, and threw a lit Molotov cocktail at the police car, an NYPD spokesman said.

The Molotov — made in a vodka bottle — struck the patrol car and bounced off, shattering in the street, according to cops, who said no one was physically harmed by the incendiary device.

The suspect drove off again, but crashed his car a short distance away on Snyder near East 55th Street, where he was arrested.

Charges are pending, police said.

The officer who was splashed with the chemical is being treated for burns at an area hospital, the NYPD said.

Police Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch blamed left-leaning Big Apple politicians for fostering a climate that allows such attacks.

"Make no mistake: this is the environment that our elected officials have created," he said. "This is the violent behavior that their anti-police rhetoric has inspired."

Residents too were stunned by the brazen attack on New York's Finest.

"They should respect the cops," said Jennifer LeBlanc, 64. "If they stop you, you stop. Respect the cops, doesn't matter what it is, they should respect the cops. They are here for our protection."

An NYPD operations alert went out to all uniformed officers after the frightening incident: "Remember: Car stops are not 'routine.'"