Man seriously injured in wrong-way, head-on DWI crash, police say

A wrong-way crash in Hauppauge on Tuesday night seriously injured the driver of a Jeep struck head-on by a man who suffered minor injuries and was charged with driving while intoxicated, Suffolk County police said.

Johnny Mendez, 18, of Bay Shore, was driving a 2008 Subaru Impreza north on Lincoln Boulevard, just north of Route 454, at about 10:15 p.m., police said, when he crossed over into the southbound lane and collided with the 2001 Jeep Cherokee driven by Francis Squillace, 61, of Hicksville.

Stony Brook University Hospital was treating Squillace, as well as Mendez and his 17-year-old male passenger, who suffered minor injuries, police said.

The Jeep and the Subaru will undergo safety checks, police said. Mendez was scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on Wednesday. No defense attorney information was available.