Cutchogue woman charged with drunken driving after hitting cop car, police say

A Cutchogue woman was charged with driving while intoxicated after she struck an empty Southampton Town police car on the scene of a separate crash in Northampton on Saturday, Southampton police said.

About 3:30 a.m., Lisa A. Rizzo, 23, drove a 2005 Honda Civic through a flared road closure, past a police officer directing traffic, and collided with the police car, according to a police news release.

Rizzo was taken to a hospital with minor injuries, police said.

Both the police car and the Honda Civic sustained significant damage, Southampton police said.

Police had closed off County Road 51 after responding to a crashed Toyota Prius at 1:47 a.m. Saturday morning. County Road 51 was closed until about 7 a.m. Saturday.

In the first accident, an unidentified 38-year-old man from Manorville crashed a 2005 Toyota Prius while driving south on County Road 51, south of Speonk Riverhead Road. He crashed into a tree on the northbound side of the road and was flown to Stony Brook University Hospital. That accident is still under investigation.

Southampton Town Police detectives ask anyone with information on this incident or any incident to call the Southampton Town Police Department at 631-728-5000.

By David M. Schwartz

dschwar1@newsday.comschwartznewsNY

David Schwartz covers environmental issues. A native Long Islander, he's worked at Newsday since 2013.