ALBANY — A high-speed police chase ended in tragedy early Saturday after the speeding pick-up truck Albany County sheriff's deputies were trailing fatally struck a bicyclist, sheriff's officials said.

Deputies began pursuit of Pablo Cruz, 39, just before 1 a.m. after spotting his white Chevrolet speeding down Central Avenue in Colonie at speeds nearing 90 mph, Sheriff Craig D. Apple said in an interview Saturday morning. Cruz, who was released from prison earlier this month, tried to flee, driving into Albany and cutting over to Washington Avenue. He initially slowed to a reasonable speed and appeared as though he might stop, Apple said, when he hit Paul Merges, 45, riding his bicycle near Manning Boulevard. Merges then flew onto the hood of the truck and was pinned to its ladder rack.

At this point, Apple said, Cruz may have panicked, causing him to take off again at speeds approaching triple digits, zipping back into Colonie via State Route 155, then through Niskayuna and Schenectady up Central Avenue and on side streets.

The chase finally came to a halt on Curry Road in Rotterdam after the truck engine blew. Merges' body remained wedged between the truck's ladder rack throughout the whole chase, Apple said. He surmised that Merges, an Albany resident and father, was killed on impact. Results of an autopsy, which is being performed Saturday, may reveal more, Apple said.

The entire chase, which led deputies through at least five municipalities and at points involved officers from Albany, Colonie, Guilderland, Niskayuna, Schenectady and Rotterdam, unfolded in just 18 minutes, Apple said, although Merges was struck within minutes of the chase's launch.

"Thank God the vehicle broke down," Apple said. "Otherwise I don't know how we would have stopped him."

High-speed police pursuits have at times been controversial in Albany County. In January, the city of Albany agreed to pay $200,000 to the parents of a 17-year-old who was killed in 2007 when a woman evading police slammed her vehicle into the teen's car.

"Every time something like this occurs you have to look at the threat," said Apple. "We don't like to get involved in a chase, but this wasn't a pursuit we could just terminate. He had a body on his vehicle."

Cruz, a Schenectady resident, was arrested and taken to Albany Medical Center where he was treated for minor injuries and released Saturday morning.

Cruz, who spent two years in prison for criminal sale of a controlled substance, has been charged with second-degree manslaughter and vehicular manslaughter, both felonies. He was also charged with driving while under the influence, resisting arrest and a parole violation. The sheriff's office said that Cruz had an "obvious smell of alcohol" on his breath. A pre-screening test revealed a blood alcohol level of 0.14, Apple said.

Cruz was arraigned in Albany Police Court on Saturday and sent to the Albany County jail with no bail.

An investigation into the incident is ongoing.