A Guilderland man is behind bars after attempting to purchase jewelry with counterfeit money, and then leading police on a pursuit.

“When you’re transacting several hundred dollars, that’s a large amount of money to risk for an item that you’re selling," said Bethlehem Police Commander Adam Hornick.

It’s a gamble that did not pay off for one Bethlehem resident.

“They were trying to sell some items on Craigslist and during that sale they met an individual in Glenmont who gave them a large amount — several hundred dollars in counterfeit U.S. currency in exchange for the item," Hornick said.

According to Hornick, 29-year-old Adam Ruf of Guilderland duped his seller during a jewelry transaction at a Glenmont Panera Bread parking lot in November. After realizing the money was fake, the seller contacted police, who took care of the rest, setting up a sting at the Slingerlands Shopping Center on Monday night.

“They gave counterfeit currency again, and when the officers moved in and tried to arrest him, the person took off in his vehicle," Hornick said.

Police say Ruf nearly struck a U.S. Secret Service agent with his vehicle, before leading law enforcement on a 10- to 12-minute pursuit through Bethlehem, Albany, and Rensselaer.

Police were forced to end the chase because of its reckless nature, but Ruf was arrested just hours later at his girlfriend’s home in Guilderland and charged with several felonies, including 59 counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument. 

“If people feel safer, they are more than welcome to have the transaction at the parking lot of a police station or a parking lot or apartment building, where there’s places on video recording," Hornick said.