34-year-old Juan Santoro is in critical condition after colliding with a Suffolk County Police car on Larkfield Road in East Northport on Friday.
According to a police statement, Santoro was riding a moped down Larkfield at 30 mph when two police cars attempted to pull him over for erratic driving. Santoro allegedly refused, and was followed by the squad cars for an unspecified distance until he collided with one of the cars just south of 7th Avenue around 5:50 p.m.
Santoro was thrown from his moped into a utility pole, sustaining serious injuries. He was airlifted to Stony Brook University Medical Center where he is in critical condition.
Both the moped and the police cruiser were impounded to the Suffolk County Police Impound Yard in Westhampton, where a safety check will be conducted.
Santoro was charged with DWI and reckless driving, and was issued numerous traffic citations. An arraignment has not been scheduled.
Detectives are asking anyone who may have witnessed the crash to contact the Second Squad at 631-854-8252 or anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.
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