Suffolk PD: 1 arrested, 1 injured during overnight car meet in Patchogue

Suffolk police say they responded to the area at around 1:15 a.m. and dispersed the crowd. They say one motorist “drove recklessly, fleeing the area at a high rate of speed.”

Bob Doda and Krista McNally

Oct 6, 2024, 4:09 PM

Updated 66 days ago

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A large car meet at Gateway Plaza off the Sunrise Highway in Patchogue overnight resulted in one injury and one arrest.
Suffolk police say they responded to the area at around 1:15 a.m. and dispersed the crowd. They say one motorist “drove recklessly, fleeing the area at a high rate of speed.”
Police arrested Danya Northington, 19, of Roosevelt, on fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle and reckless endangerment charges.
Another 19-year-old, a female who was not named by police, was “struck by a vehicle doing donuts that fled the scene at approximately 1:15 a.m.”
She brought herself to a hospital with a serious injury.
“Police were contacted about the crash at approximately 3:30 a.m. and Fifth Squad detectives are investigating,” police said.
Police were also called overnight to the William Floyd Parkway in Shirley and Route 25A in Sound Beach and Miller Place “for vehicles in roadway obstructing traffic.”
Police dispersed the vehicles. A 2023 Dodge was impounded in Shirley after the vehicle stalled and the driver fled on foot. The commotion alarmed many, including Neil Foley, a Brookhaven Town councilman. He says it woke up thousands of people in Brookhaven Town.
There were ‘drift racing’ meetups in Patchogue, Miller Place, Shirley and Sound Beach, according to the councilman.
Don, who works at a Speedway at the intersection where one of the meetups was, says he was told there were kids everywhere, and they even broke a camera on the business’ roof. He says they were trying to climb on the building there to get away from the police.
On Route 25A, an ambulance also is seen in the video not able to pass the intersection.
The Brookhaven town supervisor says he is working with state Sen. Anthony Palumbo on legislation to increase penalties for drift racing.
“If they are modified in such a way that renders them not legal, the registrations stricken, plates voided, inspection ripped off the windshield," said Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico.
A fine that totals the cost of responding will also be included in the legislation that is currently being drafted. Suffolk County police released a statement, saying, “The Suffolk County Police Department is continuing to investigate the illegal car meets from over the weekend. We are currently reviewing videos and gathering additional evidence to hold motorists accountable for reckless driving and identify spectators for unlawful assembly.
Anyone with information should call Suffolk County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.”