Cops: Levittown man sparks LIE chase

A Suffolk County deputy sheriff chased a fleeing motorist Tuesday on the Long Island Expressway, eastbound at first and then westbound, as the driver's boyhood friend sat in the front seat screaming for him to stop, the friend and officials said.

"I was just telling him to stop, screaming at him to stop," the passenger, Matt Murphy, 24, of Levittown, said later. "Nothing good was going to come of this."

The driver, William Girardin, 23, of Levittown, was charged with driving while under the influence of drugs, unlawful possession of marijuana, reckless driving and unlawful fleeing, according to Michael Sharkey, chief of staff to the sheriff. Girardin is expected to be arraigned Wednesday in First District Court in Central Islip.

The incident began shortly after 11 a.m. when Deputy Sheriff Frank Aurecchione pulled over a 2000 Honda Accord for improper registration at Exit 55 on the expressway in Central Islip, Sharkey said. It also had license plates that did not correspond to the car, he said.

As the deputy got out of the vehicle, the Honda sped away, got off the expressway at Exit 56, crossed an overpass and got back on the expressway going west -- the deputy in pursuit at about 60 mph, Sharkey said.

"The passenger was observed screaming. There appeared to be some sort of duress on the part of the passenger," Sharkey said. The Honda got off the expressway at Exit 46, Sunnyside Boulevard in Plainview, and got stuck as it attempted to squeeze between two cars waiting at a light.

"At that point the deputy made the arrest," Sharkey said. "The passenger was interviewed and apparently he was screaming for him [the driver] to stop."

Murphy confirmed the sheriff's version of events, and said he was mystified why Girardin did not stop. When Murphy asked him why he wouldn't pull the car over, he said Girardin replied: "I can't. I can't."

"That's all he kept saying," Murphy said. "I'm like, 'Dude . . . just stop.' I just think he was just more worried about the consequences. And now look, it's even worse." he said.

He called Girardin "my best friend," and said they went to grammar school together. He said he couldn't explain his friend's actions, adding, "He comes in my house at 10:30. Next thing I know I'm in this. I thought I was dreaming."