Hit-And-Run Driver Arrested After Striking Highway Patrol Officer On Motorcycle
NORTH BELLMORE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A Nassau County Police Department highway patrol officer on a motorcycle was hit by a car Saturday morning.
It happened just before 8:30 a.m. in North Bellmore.
Kevin Smith, deputy commissioner of the Nassau County Police Department, says the on-duty officer was traveling northbound on Bellmore Avenue when he was struck by a Subaru sedan traveling westbound on Alice Avenue.
Police say 40-year-old Hussam Rajab was behind the wheel of the car.
The officer was thrown from the motorcycle in the crash. Rajab did not stop.
Smith says the officer was seriously injured and is in critical but stable condition at a local hospital.
James McDermott, president of the Nassau County Police Benevolent Association, released the following statement:
"We are praying for the full recovery of [the] Nassau County Police Officer ... who was struck by a vehicle while on patrol on his motorcycle today. Nassau County police officers put their lives on the line every single day in order to protect the residents of Nassau County. This is a reminder of the danger that our officers face every day while in the line of duty."
Rajab's front license plate and bumper came off in the crash and were found at the scene.
Around 8:50 a.m., another patrol officer spotted Rajab's vehicle on Sunrise Highway near the Meadowbrook Parkway, traveling back toward North Bellmore.
The officer pulled Rajab over and took him into custody.
Rajab has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident with a serious physical injury.
The investigation into the crash is ongoing. Police plan to speak to witnesses, and they are seeking video of the incident.
