A Riverhead man was arrested on reckless endangerment, reckless driving and other charges following a high-speed crash in Polish Town that injured himself and the driver of another vehicle Tuesday evening, Riverhead Police said in a press release overnight.
Police said Christian Alexander Hernandez Saenz, 24, driving a 2006 Acura westbound on Lincoln Street, sped through the intersection at Lincoln Street and collided with a 2015 Toyota RAV-4 traveling southbound on Osborne Avenue shortly after 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The crash caused “extensive damage to both vehicles,” police said, but Hernandez Saenz continued westbound on Lincoln Street, colliding with an unoccupied 2007 BMW X5 parked on Lincoln Street, causing damage to the BMW and further damaging his own vehicle. Hernandez Saenz then collided with trees and came to a stop just off the roadway on Lincoln Street, police said.
Hernandez Saenz was entrapped in the Acura and Riverhead Fire Department responded to the scene to extricate him from the vehicle. Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps also responded and initiated treatment.
Due to the extent of the injuries sustained by Hernandez Saenz, he was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital by a Suffolk County Police Department helicopter, police said.
Riverhead Fire Department secured a landing zone for the helicopter at a Riverhead school district athletic field and RVAC transported Hernandez by ambulance to the landing zone, where he was transferred to the helicopter for the flight to Stony Brook.
Police said his injuries appeared to be non-life threatening.
The driver of the Toyota, a woman whom police did not identify, sustained minor injuries, police said, and was taken by RVAC to Peconic Bay Medical Center for treatment.
The Riverhead Police Department Detective Division and the New York State Police Forensic Investigation Unit were notified and responded to the scene to assist with the investigation, according to the police press release.
Police said Hernandez Saenz was placed under arrest and charged with: Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor; Reckless Driving, an unclassified misdemeanor; Leaving the Scene of an Accident Involving Injury, an unclassified misdemeanor; and Aggravated Unlicensed Operation in the Second Degree, an unclassified misdemeanor.
Hernandez Saenz was issued a desk appearance ticket to appear in Riverhead Justice Court at a later date for arraignment on the arrest charges. He was released from police custody at the hospital, according to the report.
Police said the investigation into this incident remains ongoing and ask anyone with information about it to contact the Riverhead Police Department at (631) 727-4500. All calls will be kept confidential, police said.
Editor’s note: A criminal charge is an accusation. A person charged with a crime is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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