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‘Uncooperative’ ATV, dirt bike riders create dangerous situation on roadways Sunday

Scores of ATVs and dirt bikes sped through parts of Riverhead and Brookhaven towns Sunday afternoon, some doing wheelies and some coming dangerously close to oncoming traffic, while others blocked intersections, according to videos posted on social media. 

“It was around 3:50 p.m. when we got a call that a large crowd of ATVs and dirt bikes were entering our jurisdiction from Wading River-Manor Road,” said Sgt. Jonathan Devereaux of the Riverhead Police.   

“We got several more calls that they were in the area of Route 25A in the area of the Speedway gas station. They basically occupied that whole intersection.” Sgt. Devereaux said the group was “very uncooperative and they were extremely aggressive with us.” 

He said police tried to detain the group and get them out of the area but they were uncooperative. 

“We requested assistance from Suffolk County as well as from the State police,” he said. “They had similar issues with the same crowd of people earlier in  the day. We ended up arresting one of them.”

The group ended up going to Brookhaven Town, and two were arrested by Suffolk County police near Whiskey Road in Ridge.

“And that was the end of our involvement,” Sgt. Devereaux said. He added that police do not know the motive of the group, and are continuing their investigation. 

Suffolk police responded to two crashes involving ATVs at approximately 4 p.m. Sunday.

The first crash was reported at 3:59 p.m. on Ridge Road when the driver of the ATV was involved in a single-vehicle crash near the intersection of Whiskey Road. The 15-year-old driver was transported to Peconic Bay Medical Center for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. He was charged with reckless driving and released on a ticket to appear at Suffolk County Family Court on a later date, according to Suffolk police. The ATV was impounded.

The second crash was reported on Rocky Point Road, near Whiskey Road in Rocky Point, at approximately 4:05 p.m. when the driver of an ATV lost control and it became disabled. No injuries were reported. 

The driver, Dominic Avarello, 20, of Massapequa was charged with reckless driving and released on a ticket to appear at First District Court in Central Islip on a later date, Suffolk police said. The ATV was impounded.