'Street takeover' draws hundreds to Deer Park; 4 cited for driving stunts, police say
Four men were issued summonses for reckless driving on a blocked-off street in Deer Park, Suffolk police said.
Roughly 200 cars blocked a section of road at Long Island Avenue and Commack Road about 4:30 p.m. Saturday, where multiple cars were performing stunts such as "donuts" and "burnouts," according to police.
The department’s street takeover task force responded to a 911 call and arrested three people: a 25-year-old Brooklyn man, a 21-year-old man from Laurelton and a 21-year-old man from Wyandanch. Those three and a 26-year-old man from Astoria, Queens, were issued summonses, police said.
Police impounded their cars, all BMWs.
The street takeover task force was launched last November in response to an increasing number of drag-racing gatherings, some of which resulted in crashes.
Last December, the Suffolk County Legislature passed a law that allows organizers and spectators of illegal car racing and stunts to be charged with second-degree reckless endangerment. A conviction can result in a fine of $600 or up to 6 months in jail.
In May, nine drivers were cited for "burning rubber"— spinning their tires in preparation for a race — in Medford. Police impounded seven cars after the incident.
The four involved in Saturday's incidents were ordered to appear on July 18 in First District Court in Central Islip.
There were no reported injuries.
: Every 7 minutes on average a traffic crash causing death, injury or significant property damage happens on Long Island. A Newsday investigation found that traffic crashes killed more than 2,100 people between 2014 and 2023 and seriously injured more than 16,000 people. To search for fatal crashes in your area, click here.
Newsday examines the increase in aggressive driving on Long Island as part of a yearlong investigative series into the area's dangerous roads. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn reports.