Police break up 'street takeover' at Ronkonkoma LIRR station
Police shut down a "street takeover" Saturday at the Long Island Rail Road Station in Ronkonkoma, where more than 40 vehicles gathered to watch and perform driving stunts in what has become a continuing trend in Suffolk County.
The driver of a pickup truck who was caught doing "donuts" was cited in the 10:15 p.m. incident, according to a Suffolk police news release.
Police credited members of the recently formed Suffolk County Police Street Takeover Task Force and criminal intelligence officers with quickly shutting down the event as members of all seven Suffolk precincts arrived to block the exits to the train station parking lot before all the participants could flee the area.
Upon arriving, police found two drivers performing the stunts in the station's parking lot around dozens of vehicles and a crowd of onlookers, police said.
A 19-year-old Ronkonkoma man was issued tickets for performing a side show, engaging in stunt behavior and three other traffic violations, police said. His 2002 Dodge Ram was impounded, according to the news release.
The driver of the second pickup truck was not apprehended, police said.
Members of the Task Force patrolling the area following the crackdown also charged a Medford man with first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation under Angelica’s Law for driving with license suspensions on nine prior occasions, police said.
The law, which is named for a Holbrook teen killed in 2008 by an unlicensed driver with multiple prior suspensions, went into effect this month. It decreases from 10 to 5 the number of license suspensions necessary to upgrade an unlicensed operation charge from a misdemeanor to a felony.
The man's car was impounded; he will be arraigned at a later date, police said.
Suffolk County officials announced the formation of the task force last week following the arrests of two men in an illegal Nov. 3 street race that injured a police officer and caused a fiery crash as drivers tried to flee near Sunrise Highway in Islip. A similar takeover at a commercial parking lot in Patchogue led to multiple arrests in October, police and prosecutors previously said.
"These takeovers are becoming more dangerous, causing crashes, injuries, including Suffolk County police officers. This activity will not be tolerated and we will arrest those who participate," Suffolk County Deputy Commissioner Kevin Catalina said at the Nov. 8 news conference in Brentwood announcing the formation of the task force. "We want people to know that even if you flee when police arrive, it doesn't mean you will not be held accountable."
Officials said the new task force, which includes Suffolk police, district attorney investigators and sheriff's deputies, seeks to stop reckless driving and street racing gatherings.
Intelligence officers are monitoring social media for planned takeover events, and Suffolk County Crime Stoppers is offering $500 cash rewards, payable within 72 hours, for information that leads to an arrest, officials said.
Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.
'Ridiculous tickets that are illogical' A Newsday investigation shows that about 70% of tickets issued by Suffolk County for school bus camera violations in 2023 took place on roads that students don't cross. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.
'Ridiculous tickets that are illogical' A Newsday investigation shows that about 70% of tickets issued by Suffolk County for school bus camera violations in 2023 took place on roads that students don't cross. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.
