LIE crash in Medford: All eastbound traffic being diverted at Exit 64, police say
A Suffolk man was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated after police say he caused a two-car crash on the Long Island Expressway Friday morning. A good Samaritan rescued him from his vehicle just before it caught fire, police added.
Around 3:21 a.m., Alex Hernandez Garcia, 21, of Brentwood, was driving a 2024 Acura east near Medford when his car sideswiped another vehicle, causing the Acura to overturn, Suffolk County police said.
A passerby pulled Hernandez Garcia from the Acura before it caught fire and became fully engulfed, police said.
All eastbound lanes were closed at Exit 64 for hours, but by 8 a.m. the crash was cleared and all lanes were reopened, police said.
Hernandez Garcia was taken to Long Island Community Hospital in East Patchogue for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, police said. No one else was injured.
Check back for updates on this developing story.
Maureen Mullarkey is a breaking news reporter at Newsday. She previously worked as a reporter for Patch, where she covered a range of Long Island stories on topics such as the Diocese of Rockville Centre bankruptcy and the Babylon School District abuse scandals.
