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Suffolk County Police arrested a Bellport man Wednesday after a high-speed crash on the Long Island Expressway in Manorville injured two people while causing an oil tanker truck to overturn, police said.
Authorities said 19-year-old Austin Richuitti was speeding and driving high in a 2011 Cadillac westbound near exit 69 when he allegedly hit the back of a 2010 International oil truck, sending the truck off the road and into a wooded area.
Moments before the crash, police had attempted a traffic stop, but he allegedly fled, initiating a brief pursuit on the expressway.
Emergency responders airlifted Richuitti and the truck driver, 24-year-old Timothy Abruzzo of Kings Park, to Stony Brook University Hospital, where both are in stable condition.
Police charged Richuitti with driving while ability impaired by drugs, second-degree reckless endangerment and reckless driving.
Authorities impounded the Cadillac for a safety check, while Suffolk Police Motor Carrier Safety Section officers inspected the oil truck on-site. Richuitti will be arraigned in First District Court in Central Islip at a later date, authorities said.
Top photo: Facebook/LI Fire Buff
