Suffolk County Police today arrested a man for driving while ability impaired by drugs following a motor vehicle crash in Manorville.
Austin Richuitti was driving a 2011 Cadillac westbound on the Long Island Expressway near exit 69 at a high rate of speed when the vehicle hit the rear of a 2010 International oil truck which caused the truck to overturn into a wooded area.
Officers attempted to initiate a traffic stop a short time prior to the crash but Richuitti fled.
Richuitti, 19, of Bellport, was arrested and charged with Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs, Reckless Endangerment 2nd Degree, and Reckless Driving. The Cadillac was impounded for a safety check and the International oil truck was checked at the scene by Motor Carrier Safety Section officers.
Richuitti and the operator of the International oil truck, Timothy Abruzzo, 24, of Kings Park, were transported via Suffolk County Police helicopter to Stony Brook University Hospital in stable condition.
Richuitti will be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on a later date.
Anyone with information is asked to call Major Case Unit detectives at 631-852-6555.
A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.