An alligator found on the Long Island Expressway near Exit 68 on Monday morning is now in the custody of the SPCA, but the questions are just beginning! The SPCA is offering a $1,000 reward for information about the alligator's origins—namely because keeping an alligator is illegal. SPCA head Roy Gross said, "This is not something that will be tolerated in Suffolk County and if you have something like this, you're not only endangering yourself or your family but you're endangering the public." more ›

There's speeding, and then there's speeding. Early Sunday morning, Nassau County Police arrested Joseph Melendez after he was caught speeding on the Long Island Expressway at speeds of 122 mph and 126 mph. The police said, "During the process of following and bringing Melendez to a stop, other motorists on the road were observed being forced to take evasive action in order to avoid becoming involved in a collision." more ›

Yesterday's wrong-way crash on the Long Island Expressway claimed the life of a Queens father of three. Mauricio Visoso-Ornelas was riding in Juan Cruz's mini when Cruz somehow started driving west in the eastbound HOV lane. According to Newsday, at 4:45 a.m., Cruz hit a "median at a spot where the edge of the median was uneven because of the placement of a stanchion, just west of the Sunnyside Boulevard overpass in Plainview. The passenger side of the van was torn off." Visoso-Ornelas was pronounced dead at Nassau University Medical Center. more ›

The Long Island Expressway's eastern lanes were closed early this morning when a car was going "westbound in the eastbound HOV lane," according to WABC 7. Driver Juan Cruz, 27, "struck the guardrail between exits 44 and 45 around 4:45 a.m." and a male passenger in his minivan died. Cruz was arrested and Newsday reports that the police say, "The accident investigation is ongoing and may be alcohol-related." more ›

Two people are in critical condition after a Mercedes-Benz that was driving the wrong way on the Long Island Expressway crashed into an airport shuttle van in Queens. All eastbound lanes were closed this morning because one of the vehicles caught fire near the Kissena Boulevard exit. Apparently the Mercedes was going west in the eastbound lane; 1010 WINS reports, "Both drivers were brought to Elmhurst Hospital in critical condition. Police say the driver of the Mercedes has been arrested for driving with a suspended license. Sources tell 1010 WINS he had a blood alcohol level of 1.9 -- 1.1 over the legal limit." more ›

Chad Johnson, of Medford, was charged with killing a North Patchogue woman after hiring her for sex on Craigslist for $80. Suffolk County Detective Sgt. Robert Doyle said that Jennifer Papain was choked to death and that Johnson led police to a shallow grave off the LIE, "He hired her for a sex act and at a certain point during their encounter he wanted his money back … which led him to choke the victim to death." The Long Island Press notes that Doyle "added that in the past, Johnson has faced charges for choking other people." Johnson pleaded not guilty and his lawyer claims he has a "strong defense." Papain was last seen on March 24 and Newsday reports that Johnson "became a person of interest after police determined he was the last one to see Papain alive." more ›

Why should Kathleen A. Frascinella, 61, have to sit in traffic when she's on her way into the city for mani-pedis with her gal pal, just because that friend appears to be an insentient wooden mannequin? (She's actually a lot of fun once you get a few drinks in her or introduce her to Andrew McCarthy.) Yesterday morning Frascinella was cruising down the Long Island Expressway in the High Occupancy Vehicle [HOV] lane with her fashionable friend—let's call her "Emmy"—in the passenger seat, when she ran into trouble with the law. more ›

A New Jersey woman narrowly avoided a fiery death in yesterday’s crash on the Long Island Expressway, thanks to an anonymous Good Samaritan. On Saturday morning a gasoline tanker clipped Marie Medina’s Dodge Neon when she stalled on the L.I.E. near exit 48. The truck flipped on its side and exploded into a giant fireball that killed driver Mujahid Shahin, a Brooklyn man in his fifties, according to the NY Post. But someone pulled Medina from her vehicle before she became the accident's second casualty. "He saved me. I kept thanking him," said the woman, who has only minor injuries. Just this morning, officials re-opened eastbound lanes on the expressway, reported AP. more ›

This morning at 8 a.m. a tanker hauling a cargo of gasoline sideswiped a car while changing lanes, causing the truck to roll and burst into flames. Its driver perished on the Long Island Expressway and another person was injured. The wreck occurred near the Nassau-Suffolk County line and as of this afternoon the road was still closed on both sides near Melville, reported the NY Post. The truck’s combustion caused a giant fireball that could be seen for miles, and also felled a large highway sign, blocking the road in both directions. This afternoon rescuers were still trying to pull the driver’s body from truck. more ›

A fire broke out at a warehouse, located at 27th Street and 50th Avenue, just before 6 a.m. and has grown into a three-alarm blaze. The smoke has been so heavy that all westbound Long Island Expressway lanes were shut down temporarily—they have since reopened but there are still delays near the Queens Midtown Tunnel. According to MyFoxNY, "NY Traffic Authority Ines Rosales recommends drivers in the area take the 59th Street Bridge or get off on Queens Boulevard and take the Queens Borough Bridge." And firefighters are still working to get the fire under control. more ›

Not generally known for its scenic views, drivers along the Long Island Expressway over the last two weeks have been getting an eyeful from a man who has been walking naked along the side of the road in Suffolk County. After reports of his nudity had poured in on eight of the previous nine days, police finally caught up with Joseph Galigano coming out of the woods near Exit 57 on the LIE in Yaphank on Thursday night. Galigano rushed to get away and drove his jeep onto the wrong side of the road, but quickly surrendered to cops. The 39-year-old butcher was charged with public lewdness, disorderly conduct, reckless driving and several vehicle and traffic violations. Newsday reports that Galigano has a previous charge of public lewdness along with endangering the welfare of a child back in 1997. After being arrested, he told police that he had personal problems and that his streaking was "some kind of rush for him." more ›

Suffolk County police tell Newsday that a 25-year-old driver, who was lost as she was trying to find the Long Island Expressway, was fatally struck by an apparently drunk driver. Melissa Scherr had been on the cellphone with her boyfriend, trying to make her way to the highway from Melville, when her Nissan 200SX was hit from behind and thrown into a utility pole. Douglas Davis, driving a pick-up truck, was arrested for DWI and fleeing the scene. He was found after a volunteer firefighter responding to the crash noticed a man inspecting damage to the front of his vehicle in a parking lot—and the firefighter "smelled burning rubber and antifreeze coming from the truck," plus noticed both of the truck's air bags were out. more ›

Drivers will go to some strange lengths to take advantage of HOV lanes: Yesterday, a Suffolk deputy sheriff pulled over a driver and his Plexiglas passenger. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a missing child on Union St. in Brooklyn, a shooting on Wyatt St. in the Bronx, and a fatal car fire on the Long Island Expressway near College Point in Queens.
• Colombian immigrants celebrate their roots with rolling parties aboard buses known as chivas.
• Is the person doing Amazon.com product reviews for ski masks under the screen name "Ninja Thief" Staten Island's very own Ninja Burglar?
• New York Times critic Kelefa Sanneh is rumored to be heading to The New Yorker.
• A horse marching in the Queens St. Patrick's Day pararade yesterday bolted free from its handler and galloped into a crowd of spectators. Four people were injured.
• A woman with the unwieldy street name "Brooklyn's Reclusive Cat Woman Bank Robber" was arrested after returning most of the money she stole several years ago and attempting to apologize to the the bank.
• For the first time in its 31-year history, the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament was held in Brooklyn. First prize is $5,000 and a dictionary.
• Police arrested a man in the fatal stabbing of a Brooklyn woman that occurred Saturday night.

Church, by Squid Ink. more ›

Here's one for the friends of the Karen Savillo. The Daily News reports that Savillo was critically injured when a drunk driver hit the car she was riding in early yesterday morning. Alexie Quiles's Ford SUV "veered across two lanes before sideswiping" Savillo's friend's Yukon on the Long Island Expressway in Maspeth. The Yukon crashed into a concrete barrier and 41 year old Savillo's head hit the window. more ›

Summer in the city for many means a mass exodus to the beach, whether it be the Jersey Shore, Fire Island or the Hamptons. For those not willing to brave the traffic, or opted not to go for the summer share (read lack of funds) it doesn’t mean we have to miss out on all the nautical bliss. We can enjoy that beachy atmosphere without having to inhale the exhaust on the Long Island Expressway. Turns out a short ride on the F train takes us to that lazy, seaside watering hole. Trout in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn has everything that you would want for a laid back Saturday afternoon – outdoor seating, killer bloody marys, steamed to perfection littleneck clams -- well, except the beach part, but don’t worry, you’ll never notice it’s missing. more ›

Hybrid car owners driving on the Long Island Expressway got a nice gift from the Pataki administration yesterday. Starting on March 1, "hybrid-power cars will be allowed to use high-occupancy-vehicle lanes" on the LIE. more ›