'Takeover' of street racing on Long Island leads to injuries and calls for action

Illegal street racing incident on Long Island

A street racing incident caused a stir on Long Island last weekend, damaging several cars and sending two officers to the hospital. FOX 5 NY’s Jodi Goldberg spoke to neighbors who saw what happened and has the latest from the two in Islip.

LONG ISLAND – An illegal street race took over a portion of the Surnise Highway in Islip early Sunday morning, leaving behind skid marks, a flat tire and two injured Suffolk County police officers.

Video footage posted to social media showed hundreds of people gathered to watch the so-called ‘takeover’ on the westbound service road. But what started as a spectacle quickly escalated when police arrived on the scene.

The Suffolk County Police Department confirmed that two officers were injured and several patrol cars were damaged during the chaos.

“Numerous police vehicles were rammed by participants in this race,” said Joe Ferrari, second assistant chief of the Islip Fire Department.

The incident is also not an isolated incident. Last month, a woman was injured during another street racing takeover in nearby Brookhaven.

Now local officials are calling for urgent action to prevent further incidents.

“Larger fines and seizures is what we need to do, and we need to do it quickly before someone dies,” urged lawmaker Sam Gonzalez.

The City of Islip released a statement condemning the “egregious behavior” and emphasizing that safety remains a top priority. The Suffolk County Police Department is conducting a full investigation and encourages anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers at 800-220-TIPS.