News: Truck Crashes Into Historic Greenport Church
(Long Island, N.Y.) A Greenport pastor woke at roughly a quarter to midnight last night after hearing a loud crash. He looked outside and discovered that a vehicle had plowed through the north side of the First Baptist Church. The church is located on Main Street, and reports stated that no one was harmed during the incident.
The pastor stated that he thought that an air conditioner had fallen out of a window. He then discovered the crashed pickup truck; he also stated that he noticed a fence gate had been knocked over as a result of the crash. The building’s electric was shut off as a safety measure, and the town building department stated that the building was solid and structurally sound.
The black pickup truck was lodged under the main preaching area of the historic building. Reports stated that the church, built in 1831, has been in establishment for roughly one hundred and eighty years. The church was originally located on Old North Road and was moved to its current location around 1846.
Sources stated that the driver of the vehicle fled the scene. Police and authorities on the case were accompanied by a K-9 unit which was brought in to locate the man and assist in the investigation. Investigators eventually located the alleged hit-and-run driver and arrested him.
Reports stated that the driver had fled on foot in an unknown direction. It only took a team of investigators and detectives about an hour to locate the twenty-three-year-old driver. He is currently in police custody.
According to sources, the man was allegedly using his boss’ truck. Investigators stated that he did not have permission to use the 1999 Dodge 1500 pickup. The vehicle was owned by Mohr Landscaping of Cutchogue where he worked.
The driver of the truck is now being held and awaiting arraignment for the charges of driving without a license. He is also being charged with unauthorized operation of a motor vehicle and leaving the scene of an accident. The suspect will be arraigned early Wednesday at the Southold Town Justice Court.
The pastor has run the church for over fifteen years. Reports stated that he was shocked when he saw the truck dangling from the crash site.
