NYS Police: Drunk Driver Strikes Trooper's Cruiser on Southern State Parkway, Flees Scene
Hempstead, NY - May 8, 2018 - On Monday May 7, 2018, at approximately 11:50 PM, New York State Troopers were on a traffic stop on the Southern State Parkway, eastbound west of exit 22, in the Town of Hempstead, Nassau County, when a black Dodge Ram pickup truck side-swiped the driver’s side of the marked New York State Police patrol car and then fled the scene. The pickup was located shortly thereafter unoccupied by the Nassau County Police Department at the intersection of Underhill Boulevard and Babylon Turnpike with severe collision damage.
The tow truck operator, responding the scene of the initial incident, saw a subject walking in the vacinity of the pickup truck. The subject then asked the tow truck operator for a ride. The tow truck operator, having knowledge of the situation, drove the subject to the scene of the accident and advised the Troopers. Investigation determined that the subject was the same person who was operating the pickup truck that struck the police car and fled the scene.
The driver of the pickup truck, Mark Trebendis, age 51 of Hewlett, N.Y., was taken into custody and was charged with Driving While Intoxicated, Leaving the Scene of an Accident, and Unlawful Possession of Marihuana. The defendant refused the breath test and was held for arraignment.
A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.