A Riverhead police officer was seriously injured in an accident during a police pursuit yesterday afternoon.
The officer, whose identity was not released by police, is in serious but stable condition at Stony Brook University Hospital, Riverhead Town Police said in a press release last night.
The officer was one of several police units involved in the pursuit of a vehicle wanted in connection with an incident in Southold Town, Riverhead Police said.
The crash took place on Osborn Avenue, when the police vehicle, which was responding to the area of the pursuit and was heading north on Osborn Avenue with its emergency lights activated, attempted to pass another northbound vehicle, police said. The second vehicle attempted to make a left turn onto Youngs Avenue and the two vehicles collided, according to the press release. The police vehicle left the roadway and struck a fence on the west side of Osborn Avenue just north of Youngs Avenue.
Riverhead Town Police and other police agencies were pursuing a vehicle wanted in connection with an incident in Southold Town, according to police.
Riverhead Police were notified at about 4 p.m. of a police pursuit that had entered the Riverhead Police Department jurisdiction from Southold on Sound Avenue. Several agencies were reportedly involved in the pursuit and attempting to stop a vehicle wanted in connection with an incident that occurred within Southold Town, Riverhead Police said.
The vehicle being pursued by the other agencies had turned southbound onto Doctors Path and continued southbound on Northville Turnpike and then south onto Roanoke Avenue, according to police. The operator left the vehicle in the vicinity of the First Street parking lot and fled on foot, police said. The suspect remains at large at this time, police said.
The injured officer was treated at the scene of the crash by members of Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps and was transported by ambulance to Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead. The officer was subsequently flown by a Northwell Skyhealth helicopter from Peconic Bay Medical Center to Stony Brook University Hospital due to the extent and seriousness of his injuries, police said.
Osborn Avenue in the area of the accident was closed to traffic for several hours as an investigation was conducted, police said. The Riverhead Detective Division was assisted in the investigation by Suffolk County Police detectives and their crime scene unit.
The operator of the second vehicle involved in the accident was not injured, police said.
Editor’s note: This story has been modified after its initial publication to correct the identification of the helicopter used to transport the injured officer from Peconic Bay Medical Center to Stony Brook University Hospital.
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