Drunk man drives onto Syosset railroad tracks, cops say

A Wyandanch man was drunk when he drove his car onto the railroad tracks near the Long Island Rail Road Syosset train station early Monday, striking the third rail and igniting his vehicle, Nassau County police said.

The car fire at about 1:50 a.m. caused some residual train delays that lasted until almost 7 a.m. but no one was injured, authorities said.

Oscar Funes-Hernandez, 41, is charged with driving while intoxicated and operating a motor vehicle without a license, a police spokeswoman said Monday.

There were several other charges, including driving without insurance and without valid registration and license plates, the spokeswoman said.

Funes-Hernandez was on the phone when he turned onto the tracks at the crossing at Syosset-Woodbury Road, east of the Syosset station, police said.

He was driving in the direction of the tracks and struck the third rail, starting a car fire, according to LIRR spokesman Salvatore Arena.

Arena said there was a temporary service suspension, followed by some delays as crews cleared the track of the car; police said it was a 1998 Toyota Corolla.

The last delay because of the car fire was the 4:55 a.m. train from Port Jefferson due at Hunterspoint Avenue at 6:37 a.m., the LIRR said. That train was operating 11 minutes late at about 6:42 a.m.

Police said Funes-Hernandez was the lone person in the car and was not hurt.

He is scheduled to be arraigned Monday at First District Court in Hempstead.