Cops: Man fleeing Hauppauge crash struck, killed by 18-wheeler

A Florida man who crashed into a tree in Hauppauge Wednesday and then fled on foot, was struck and killed minutes later by a tractor trailer, Suffolk police said.

Joseph Suozzo, 60, of Jupiter, Florida, was pronounced dead at the scene on Long Island Motor Parkway by a physician assistant from the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner, police said.

Suozzo was driving a 2006 Jeep Cherokee at 2:18 p.m. on eastbound Bridge Road in Hauppauge at the Central Islip border when he veered off and hit a tree, police said.

He then got out of the Jeep and was struck by the 18-wheeler at 2:20 p.m. as he crossed the parkway near Milford Drive, according to police. 

The truck driver, Jose Flores Umanzor, 45, of Central Islip, was not injured, police said. The Jeep was impounded for a safety check, while officers at the scene inspected the truck.

Police ask anyone with information to contact detectives from the Suffolk police Fourth Precinct in Smithtown at 631-854-8452.