4-vehicle crash on Hempstead Turnpike leaves two hurt, cops say

Two people were injured in a four-vehicle crash in Levittown on Saturday morning that closed Hempstead Turnpike in both directions for about two hours, Nassau County police said.

The crash happened at about 2:30 a.m. at Wantagh Avenue and Hempstead Turnpike, causing both victims to be taken to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow with serous injuries, police said. The incident began when a 2008 black Mercedes-Benz traveling east on Hempstead Turnpike passed through a red light, crashing into a 2017 Dodge pickup truck going north on Wantagh Avenue, police said. The collision caused the two other cars, a 2017 Jeep Cherokee and a 2016 Volkswagen, also going north on Wantagh Avenue, to slam into each other, police said.

Moments after the crash, the driver of the Mercedes-Benz fled and left his car behind, authorities said.

The driver of the Jeep, a 25-year-old man, and his passenger, a 21-year-old woman, were taken to the hospital, officials said.

The road was closed from 4:15 a.m. to about 6 a.m. to allow authorities to investigate the crash.

Detectives request anyone with information about the crash to contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 800-244-8477. All callers will remain anonymous.

With Mark Morales