Melville Crash Injures Two, SUV Overturns: FD

*Photo/Melville FD*
Emergency personnel work to free a driver trapped in an SUV that overturned after a crash in Melville on Monday.

A two-car crash injured two in Melville on Monday, fire officials said.

The Melville Fire Department responded to the crash on Half Hollow Road and the LIE South Service Road at around 12:55 p.m.

One of the two vehicles involved turned on its side, trapping the driver inside.

Melville firefighters stabilized the SUV and used heavy rescue extrication tools to remove the victim.

Both drivers involved in the crash suffered non-life threatening injuries and were brought to Huntington Hospital by the Melville Rescue Squad.

Three ambulances, heavy rescue truck, an engine, fire police and paramedic unit were dispatched with around 20 fire/rescue personnel, under the direction of Chief Jason Bernfeld, who was supported by assistant chiefs Chris Nolan, David Kaplan and Bill Schmitt.

Men Arrested After Dix Hills Pursuit, Cops Say

Two men who led Suffolk police on a chase across the Long Island Expressway were arrested in Dix Hills on Friday, officials said.

Highway Patrol Bureau Sergeant Peter Clancy saw the driver of a 2016 Nissan Sentra driving erratically westbound on the Long Island Expressway near exit 62 in Holtsville at around 2 a.m.

Clancy tried to pull the vehicle over, but the driver fled.

The driver of the Sentra and an acquaintance, who was driving nearby in a Chevrolet, began weaving through traffic.

The drivers refused to stop for Clancy, and Highway Patrol Bureau Officer Robert Scudellari deployed stop sticks, which stopped the Chevrolet.

The Nissan continued, but Clancy was able to stop it near Exit 52 in Dix Hills, more than a dozen miles from where the pursuit began.

Robert Richards, 32, of Springfield Gardens, Queens, was identified as the driver of the Nissan, police said. He was charged with reckless driving and third-degree fleeing an officer in a motor vehicle.

Richards was held overnight at the Second Precinct in Huntington, and was arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on Friday.

Donzel Raywhyte, 28, of Arverne, Queens, identified as the driver of the Chevrolet, was charged with three counts of first-degree possession of a forged instrument for three forged out of state licenses; second-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and false personation. Raywhyte was held overnight at the precinct and arraigned on Saturday.

Both men were scheduled to appear in court again Wednesday.

July 4 Crash Backs Up Asharoken Avenue

*Photo/Steve Silverman*
Pictured is the car that rear-ended a pickup truck Tuesday on Asharoken Avenue.

No injuries were reported, but a two-vehicle crash slowed traffic into and out of Asharoken on Tuesday.

The Asharoken Police Department and Northport Fire Department responded to the crash on Asharoken Avenue at around 1:45 p.m., after a pickup truck was rear-ended by a car, according to fire officials.

Asharoken police kept traffic moving around the accident scene.

The Northport Fire Department secured the vehicles and applied an absorbent to the road for a fuel spill.

Firefighters and EMTs were on the scene with two ambulances, an engine, heavy rescue truck, fire police and paramedic unit, under the direction of First Assistant Chief John Jacobsen.

Owner: Old Fields BBQ To Reopen After Fire

*Photo/Jano Tantongco*
Emergency crews, bystanders and workers of Old Fields Barbecue are pictured outside the New Street restaurant on Friday, when a small fire broke out.

One of Huntington village’s newest restaurants is set to reopen on Friday after a small fire outside of the building caused it to close last week, its owner said.

Huntington fire crews responded to the scene at Old Fields Barbecue, which opened at New Street in May, at around 2:30 p.m. on June 30.

The fire, which originated in an electrical box outside the building, was extinguished before fire crews even arrived, emergency personnel at the scene said.

There were no reported injuries.

On Monday, David Tunney, co-owner of the restaurant, said there are plans to reopen tomorrow.

-With Peter Sloggatt & Jano Tantongco

Busy Night For First Aid Squad

The Huntington Community First Aid Squad was busy overnight, July 4-5, responding to 17 calls from 11:59 p.m. to around 5 a.m. the next day, according to a spokeswoman.

One of the calls was a stabbing, which occurred just before midnight near the intersection of Fairgrounds Avenue and East 2nd Street in Huntington Station.

Andrea Golinsky, HCFAS spokeswoman, said a 55-year-old man suffered “severe lacerations to the face, head and neck areas.” He also had several puncture wounds in his torso.

Suffolk Police Assistant Commissioner Justin Meyers said the victim was approached by three men, who demanded money from him. The victim tried to flee, but the men caught up to him and "repeatedly stabbed [him] multiple times." The men then fled.

The victim was brought to Huntington Hospital in critical condition. Meyers said he was treated and in stable condition as of Thursday.

A little more than an hour later, HCFAS responded to School Lane in Lloyd Harbor, where a 15-year-old boy suffered a severe hand injury, and burns, caused by an explosion.

“It’s likely he didn’t let go of a firework,” Golinsky said.

It was unclear whether the victim’s fingers would be lost due to the incident, Golinsky added.

She said he suffered first-, second- and third-degree burns on his torso.

The victim also had trouble seeing.

Editor's note: The entry "Busy Night For First Aid Squad" was
updated 11 a.m., July 7 with a statement sent by Suffolk police Wednesday night.