Driver charged with DWI after hitting patrol car in Ronkonkoma, Suffolk police say

A 27-year-old woman was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated after she crashed into a parked police car that was blocking traffic and had its flashing emergency lights on in Ronkonkoma on Thursday night, Suffolk County police said.

An officer who was in the patrol car was not hurt when the car was hit by a 2019 GMC Acadia driven by Danielle Schimmel of Hauppauge, who was heading north on Ocean Avenue at about 10:36 p.m., police said.

The patrol car, which was facing east, was meant to keep traffic away from an earlier accident north of Erie Street, one of the east-west roads that intersects with Ocean Avenue, police said.

Schimmel was released on her own recognizance at her arraignment in Suffolk First District Court on Friday, according to court records. Schimmel's attorney could not be immediately reached for comment.