Cops Hunt for Man Responsible for North Sea Crash

are focusing efforts to arrest a driver they say slammed a truck into a tree at about 6 p.m. Sunday on Millstone Brook Road in North Sea and then fled on foot in order to avoid arrest.

Cops said, according to a witness who was the lone passenger in the car, the driver was drunk at the time the 2011 blue Dodge Ram pickup truck hit the tree. The tree was knocked to the ground, and the impact caused the vehicle to roll over, which resulted in substantial damage to the truck. The passenger was treated for minor injuries at Southampton Hospital.

Nearby law enforcement agencies lent a hand in the search for the man. A New York State K-9 unit was called in and a Suffolk police helicopter also responded to the scene. The driver, however, was not located after an hour-long search that had neighbors in the area wondering about the unusual police presence in the normally quiet West Neck area of North Sea.

If apprehended, the driver will face a charge of leaving the scene of an accident and aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle. Police said the passenger in the accident reported that the driver is not currently legally licensed to drive.

Cops said Monday that no arrests related to the incident have yet been made but added that they do have details about the whereabouts of the suspect they believe is responsible for the crash.