PD: Man Drove Into Home, Fled Scene
/By Joseph Zapata
info@longislandergroup.com
A Huntington resident is accused of drunkenly crashing his car into a Centerport home and driving away. (Photo by Steve Silverman)
A Huntington man was arrested Tuesday night after police said he crashed his pick-up truck into a Centerport home and then kept driving.
Police said Edward Meyer, Jr., 49, drove a 2011 GMC pick-up truck into the corner of the house at 35 Prospect Road in Centerport at approximately 9:26 p.m.
After the crash, police said, Meyer drove off, but fire officials said witnesses saw and were able to describe the car. Police tracked down Meyer a few hours later at his home in Huntington and charged him with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and leaving the scene of a motor vehicle crash with property damage.
Pictured: Edward Meyer.
The pick-up truck Meyer was driving was impounded for a safety check. The suspect was due in First District Court in Central Islip on Wednesday after press time.
About 25 firefighters from the Centerport Fire Department and EMS personnel responded to the crash. According to Steve Silverman, a spokesman for the department, the front right corner of the house was severely damaged, debris was scattered across the lawn, and the natural gas line and water pipe were ruptured.
The firefighters shut off the gas and water lines and were able to ventilate the gas fumes from the home, he said.
“The first thing you want to do is make sure the scene is safe,” Silverman said.
A building inspector from the Town of Huntington, PSEG, National Grid utilities, the Huntington Town Fire Marshal and the Suffolk County Police all responded to the scene.
The residents of the Prospect Road house were not home at the time of the incident, and no injuries were reported, fire officials said.
“We were very fortunate that there were no injuries,” Silverman said.
The deck of the house adjacent to the accident was also damaged, according to fire officials. Calls to the home on Wednesday went unanswered.
