Long Island Expressway reopens in Yaphank after 4-vehicle crash; one driver flees on foot

A four-vehicle crash west of Sills Road in Yaphank closed the eastbound Long Island Expressway for almost two hours early Thursday, Suffolk County police said.

Police said the crash occurred at 5:36 a.m. and said there was one minor injury.

One of the drivers fled the scene on foot, police said.

It was not immediately clear if that driver has since been arrested.

The closures were the result of debris on the roadway, police said. The New York State Department of Transportation 511 NY website showed the road reopened at 7:15 a.m.

Traffic camera footage from the area showed eastbound traffic at a standstill at Exit 67, with vehicles being diverted onto the service road through the area during the closure.

As of 7:30 a.m. most of the delays through the area had been alleviated.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”