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“Now youse can’t leave.”
That’s what Suffolk police did to the dozens of people who gathered at the Ronkonkoma train station parking lot Saturday night for an illegal car meetup.
Officers with the Suffolk County Police Street Takeover Task Force and Criminal Intelligence members from all seven county precincts descended on the lot as the meetup was getting underway around 10:15 p.m., blocking all exits.
And just like the rowdy bikers who got locked into a bar by mobsters in A Bronx Tale, the attendees had nowhere to go. Then the arrests started happening.
One pickup truck driver, Michael Watson, 19, of Ronkonkoma, was cited for Performing a Side Show and Engaging in Stunt Behavior, police said. He was issued three additional traffic tickets and his 2002 Dodge Ram was impounded.
Jason Merino, 24, of 6 Jenny Path, Medford, was arrested and charged with Aggravated Unlicensed Operation 1st Degree under Angelica’s Law for driving with 35 suspensions on nine dates, police also said.
He’ll be arraigned at First District Court at a later date. His vehicle, a 2006 Honda sedan, was impounded.
Car meetups have been creating havoc on Suffolk roadways in recent months, resulting in serious injuries to bystanders, arrests and property damage.
Earlier this month, a Suffolk police officer responding to a meetup in Islip slammed into a pole while trying to avoid a person in the roadway. Two men were later charged.
In October, a Brooklyn man was charged for allegedly striking a 19-year-old woman with a white Infiniti he was operating, “while allegedly performing dangerous amateur car stunts” and then fled the scene near Patchogue’s Gateway Plaza, prosecutors said.
He’s now facing up to seven years behind bars.
During such meetups, groups of drivers gather in lots and public roadways to perform amateur stunts, such as donuts, in front of onlookers.
Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney previously called these people “wannabe racecar drivers.”
He said in October the groups “thoughtlessly took over a number of our roadways, endangering lives, harassing our citizens, and even preventing an ambulance from passing.”
Scroll down to watch the movie clip referenced in the article. Viewer discretion is strongly advised.
Top: Screenshot pulled from a car takeover video that circulated across Long Island in October.
