Driver barrels toward packed Riverhead Polish festival, crashes into police cruiser

An out-of-control driver barreled toward the packed Polish Town Fair in Riverhead on Sunday before a quick-thinking police officer blocked the vehicle from reaching the closed-off festival area, authorities said.

The frightening incident began around 10:30 a.m. — shortly after the second day of the popular event got underway — when a Riverhead traffic control officer assigned to the festival spotted a Hyundai sedan being driven erratically on Sweezy Avenue, police said Monday.

The driver, identified as Blanca Jimenez-Tapia of Riverhead, allegedly struck a parked vehicle, then hit a second vehicle as the traffic control officer approached. Ms. Jimenez-Tapia raced away toward Osborn Avenue, police said.

Officers soon spotted the Hyundai heading south on Osborn Avenue straight toward the festival, where the roadway had been shut down because of the large crowd.

Police said the driver wove around cops, marked police vehicles and traffic barriers blocking the roadway and continued toward the crowd. With the Hyundai still bearing down on the festival area, an officer in a marked police cruiser moved into its path, and the vehicles collided, officials said.

Ms. Jimenez-Tapia, 34, was taken into custody and transported to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of minor injuries sustained in the crash, according to police.

She was charged with second-degree reckless endangerment and third-degree unlawfully fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle, along with multiple state Vehicle and Traffic Law violations.

The unidentified officer was treated for non-life-threatening injuries at Peconic Bay Medical Center and released.

Ms. Jimenez-Tapia was released on an appearance ticket for a future court date.