A brazen alleged thief in New York City found out the hard way on Monday that jumping into Central Park's Harlem Meer is not a viable escape strategy when the NYPD is on your tail — 23-year-old Jason Taylor took a dramatic plunge into the lake in a desperate bid to evade officers, triggering one of the more memorable pursuits the city has seen in recent memory. What followed was a full-scale air, land, and water operation that unfolded in front of stunned onlookers, with NYPD units converging on the Harlem Meer from multiple directions simultaneously while Taylor treaded water and presumably reconsidered his life choices. Twenty minutes after hitting the water, officers had him in custody — wet, exhausted, and out of options.

The scene is equal parts absurd and impressive, and it speaks volumes about the determination of New York's finest to see every chase through to the end regardless of how creative a suspect gets. Taylor's decision to dive into a Central Park lake rather than submit to arrest is the kind of move that might seem clever for about thirty seconds before the reality of being surrounded by cops on the shoreline, a helicopter overhead, and a water unit closing in sets in. The NYPD did not hesitate, did not back down, and did not let the unconventional terrain slow them down for a single moment — that is exactly the kind of relentless, professional police work that keeps New York's streets and parks safe.