Drunk Teen Rescued From Burning SUV On Sunrise Highway: Police

EAST PATCHOGUE, NY – A 19-year-old woman was rescued from her burning SUV after crashing into the rear of a dump truck on Sunrise Highway early Friday, police said. She is charged with DWI.

According to Suffolk Police, Mercedes Ramos was driving a 2016 Nissan Rogue east on Sunrise Highway near Exit 53 in East Patchogue when the SUV crashed into a 2000 MACK truck at about 4:20 a.m. The front end of the Rogue became stuck under the rear of the truck.

The truck then dragged the Rogue for about a quarter-mile before the male truck driver realized what had happened and brought the truck to a stop on the right shoulder of the roadway, police said.

The Rogue caught fire with Ramos trapped inside. Two passing motorists, a 37-year-old man from Coplay, Penn., and a 41-year-old man from Ridge stopped to try and free Ramos from the Rogue.

When Highway Patrol officers Richard Gandolfo and John McCrory arrived at the scene, they joined the two men and freed the Ramos from the burning vehicle. The North Patchogue Fire Department responded and extinguished the fire.

Ramos, of Medford, was transported to Long Island Medical Center in East Patchogue with non-life threatening injuries. The two officers and the Pennsylvania man were transported to the same hospital where they were treated for minor burns and smoke inhalation and released. The Ridge man and the truck driver were not injured.

Ramos was arrested and charged with DWI. She was issued a field appearance ticket and will be arraigned at a later date.

Video by Fully Involved Media Group / Brian LaMonica Jr.

Photo by Bryan Lopez