ELMONT, Long Island (WABC) — A Brooklyn man has been charged with DWI, trespassing and reckless endangerment after police say he drove his SUV onto some railroad tracks, disrupting rail service on one branch of the Long Island Railroad for hours.
Anthony Carlo has the latest on a Brooklyn man charged with DWI, trespassing, and reckless endangerment after police say he drove his SUV onto some railroad tracks.
It happened just before 5 p.m. Sunday on the LIRR Main Line between Bellerose and Floral Park stations.
Police say 40-year-old Basilio Hidalgo was intoxicated when he drove his black Honda SUV onto the tracks west of the Elmont-UBS Arena Station.
Hidalgo allegedly traveled a half mile east before two tires on the SUV ignited, forcing the vehicle to stop.
Police arrived and arrested him within minutes.
The incident suspended service on the Hempstead Branch and caused significant delays on the Ronkonkoma, Port Jefferson, and Oyster Bay branches.
It took crews more than three hours to remove the SUV, repair damage to the tracks and third rail and fully restore service to the Main Line.
Track workers had to use a hydraulic lift to pull the vehicle off the track, a process that took hours with repairs.
The MTA said the driver got onto the tracks just west of the Elmont UBS Arena Station from grade level, meaning the car was able to access the tracks directly from land that is the same elevation.
People who ride the LIRR were shocked this was even possible.
“This kind of thing is very embarrassing for like being late and things like that because it can cause delay and its very dangerous,” one LIRR rider said.
“I think anything can happen, it’s very weird. But it is unsettling no doubt. And if you’re a passenger on the train? Yeah what would you think about that,” another rider said.
The investigation into how the driver got up onto the tracks is ongoing. Riders said the MTA needs to find a way to make that harder.
CREDIT: ABC News 7
