(Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
KENOSHA, Wis. – A Kenosha man is facing more than three decades behind bars after prosecutors say he led police on a dangerous, rain-soaked high-speed chase through residential neighborhoods, narrowly avoiding a head-on collision with a marked squad car and endangering pedestrians.
Zachary L. Pulera, 38, appeared in Kenosha County Circuit Court on Wednesday, where Court Commissioner William Michel II ordered a $25,000 cash bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 5, 2025.
(Kenosha County Sheriff)
Pulera is charged with four counts, all as a repeater due to a prior felony conviction in 2024 for possession of cocaine (2nd+ offense). The most serious of the new charges is first-degree recklessly endangering safety, a Class F felony. With the repeater enhancer, it carries a maximum of 18.5 years in prison. He also faces a felony fleeing charge and two counts of misdemeanor bail jumping.
According to the criminal complaint filed by Assistant District Attorney Toni Young, Kenosha Police Officer Fikejs was on routine patrol on May 20 when he observed a black Mazda sedan in the 3700 block of Washington Road. A license plate check confirmed that the vehicle was registered to Pulera, who had active warrants and a revoked license.
Officer Fikejs watched the Mazda pull into the ManorCare nursing home lot, where he observed a man matching Pulera’s booking photo. Another officer, Officer Healy, also responded. When Pulera pulled back onto Washington Road, Officer Fikejs activated his squad’s emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop. Pulera allegedly fled, turning down residential streets at high speeds.
During the pursuit, Pulera allegedly reached 40 mph in a 25 mph zone on 32nd Avenue, 60 mph on 45th Street (30 mph zone), and 55 mph on 41st Avenue (25 mph zone). Police say he sped past a woman walking her dog on the sidewalk without slowing down, and the roads were wet from rain at the time.
At the intersection of 56th Street and 44th Avenue, Officer Healy was stationary with emergency lights activated when Pulera allegedly drove directly at him. Officer Healy had to reverse his squad car to avoid a collision.
The pursuit continued for 12.55 miles and was ultimately terminated by Pleasant Prairie Police out of safety concerns. Attempts to deploy stop sticks were unsuccessful as Pulera allegedly maneuvered around them.
Two days later, on May 22, officers located the suspect’s Mazda parked behind a residence in the 5600 block of 43rd Avenue. A resident confirmed Pulera regularly parked there. Inside the vehicle, police found Pulera’s driver’s license, prescription medication, and DOT documents in his name.
Pulera was arrested on May 23 after being found in the passenger seat of his girlfriend’s vehicle. During an interview, he admitted to fleeing because he didn’t want to go to jail and said he was scared.
The complaint also details two counts of bail jumping. Pulera was out on a $2,000 bond from a prior misdemeanor case and was under court order not to commit any new offenses. He also failed to appear for a court hearing on May 9, resulting in a bench warrant.
If convicted on all counts with repeater enhancers applied, Pulera faces up to 32.5 years in prison. A conviction for fleeing also carries a mandatory six-month driver’s license revocation.
Pulera remains in custody at the Kenosha County Jail pending further proceedings.
One Response
Driving like that is attempted murder or attempted manslaughter … against every member of the public … and the laws should be changed to reflect that.
It’s as bad or worse than randomly firing bullets in random directions.