Suffolk County police officials said more than 100 people shut down the Sunrise Highway service road westbound at Commack Road in Islip early Sunday morning.
It’s a problem becoming increasingly too common that has Long Islanders fed up and police searching for new ways to crack down.
Several people were injured, property was damaged and a car was left on fire after the latest street takeover, this time in Islip.
The chaos woke Mike Holmes and his family up. He went outside to record a video of the incident.
“I was disgusted,” Holmes said. “I really was. This is what our society has come to? That they can rampantly do anything like this on our streets. I mean, an ambulance couldn’t get through. Nobody could get through here. It was really scary.”
Suffolk County police responded to the Sunrise Highway service road westbound at Commack Road on Sunday, Nov. 3, at around 1 a.m. for several calls about cars blocking traffic.
Police said more than 100 people had gathered to shut down the road, perform dangerous stunts with their cars and disturb the community.
One officer attempted to stop a Mustang doing donuts in the middle of the road. Police said the car fled the scene before crashing into another car at Commack Road and Wallace Street.
The Mustang driver fled the scene before their car caught on fire. The driver of the other car involved in the crash was not injured, according to police.
A second officer crashed their patrol car into a pole on the eastbound side of the Sunrise Service Road near Griffing Street.
There were two other crashes involving cars fleeing the area. One car struck a pole on West Pine Street and Whitman Avenue. That driver ran from the scene. Another driver struck a tree on the westbound Sunrise Service Road near Pond Road in Bohemia and was issued several traffic tickets.
People involved in the takeover also slashed at least three tires on a police cruiser.
The two police officers injured in the chaotic night were treated and released from a local hospital.
“I just feel like it’s unnecessary,” Central Islip resident Kenny Bradley said. “They should be doing something else with their time.”
An assistant chief with the Islip Fire Department told News 12 there was a safety issue because some firefighters, who were attempting to respond, couldn’t get to their firehouse.
Last month, New York lawmakers introduced a new bill that would increase penalties on people who intentionally block emergency vehicles in these street takeovers. It’s the latest effort to deter people from holding these dangerous gatherings.
Suffolk County Legislator Sam Gonzalez said he and his colleagues are working on a resolution to put a halt to these meetups.
He said, “bigger fines, confiscations is what we need to do and we need to do this fast before someone dies.”
CREDIT: News 12 Jonathan Gordon and Cecilia Dowd 
