Driver flees Port Jeff Station crash that broke gas line, cops say

The search is on for a driver involved in a two-vehicle crash Tuesday morning in Port Jefferson Station, after one vehicle hit a building and ruptured a natural gas line, police said.

Suffolk County police said the crash occurred about 3:50 a.m. near the intersection of Hallock Avenue and Columbia Street.

Photos from the scene show a car, its front end smashed, stopped on a lawn, and a Jeep crashed into the building. The Jeep hit a gas meter and caused a gas leak, according to police, who said a utility crew was dispatched to the scene to fix the damaged pipe and meter.

The Jeep’s driver fled the scene, police said, and has not been apprehended.

There were no major injuries. Additional information about the crash was not immediately available.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”