On Saturday night a Plainview man was arrested on alleged drunk driving charges on the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway near Bethpage. Nassau County police officers caught the man after his wrong-way joyride resulted in a fiery crash.
Police say John Derrico, 51, was driving his Ford south while traveling northbound on the highway at around 1 a.m. Authorities are still investigating how he found himself traveling the wrong way. While on the wrong side of the road Derrico collided with a 2007 Volvo. The 29-year-old Volvo owner’s name has not been released but he was said to be uninjured by the crash.
After hitting the Volvo, Derrico continued to drive the wrong-way and smashed into the highway’s median. This spelled the end of his joyride as his car burst into flames immediately after. The officer who heroically pulled Derrico from his car determined immediately after that he was under the influence of alcohol.
Derrico was taken to a local hospital for a medical evaluation and was sent to court after being released.
Derrico was arraigned Sunday, November 10 in the First District Court in Hempstead. He was charged with first-degree reckless endangerment, driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, and driving in the wrong direction on a one-way street. He was released after posting a $2,500 bail and is due back in court on November 13.
[Source: Nassau County Police]