A tractor-trailer driver grabbed and threw a 76-year-old man to the ground after a crash on the westbound Long Island Expressway near the Cross Island Parkway exit in Queens on August 17, then sped off before officers arrived. Police say the victim suffered minor injuries, and the driver remains unidentified more than two months later as detectives continue searching for him.
Crash Turned Confrontation on the LIE
According to Shore News Network, the collision happened at approximately 11:20 a.m. that day, when the 76-year-old was involved in a motor vehicle crash with an unidentified westbound driver, according to investigators. Police said the encounter escalated when the tractor-trailer driver confronted the elderly motorist and physically assaulted him after the traffic collision. The NYPD has classified the incident as an elderly assault, the outlet reported.
Police said the driver grabbed the 76-year-old and threw him to the ground before fleeing the scene westbound in a blue tractor-trailer, leaving the victim injured on the roadway. Authorities have not released additional details about what led to the confrontation, and it remains unclear what sparked the physical altercation beyond the initial collision, per the same report.
Victim's Injuries and an Unidentified Suspect
Police said the 76-year-old suffered minor injuries in the assault, though the report did not indicate whether he required hospitalization. Authorities have also not released the suspect's identity, and no arrest has been announced in the case as of the Crime Stoppers alert. The investigation remains open as detectives attempt to identify the driver, the outlet notes.
NYPD is now searching for the tractor-trailer driver and has asked the public to help identify and locate him. NYPD Crime Stoppers is requesting information from witnesses or anyone who may recognize the truck involved in the incident. Police said all calls and tips will remain confidential.
How to Submit a Tip
Anyone with information can call the NYPD Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), the same report states. Tips can also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers website or via direct message to @NYPDTips on X. Spanish-speaking callers can reach investigators at 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
Roadside confrontations following minor collisions have surfaced elsewhere in the city. In Brooklyn, a 76-year-old male driver struck an unoccupied motorized scooter in what police described as a minor collision, according to amNY. The scooter's owner rained down punches and kicks on the victim multiple times, the outlet reported, and the 76-year-old was treated on the scene by EMS before the suspect fled westbound on the scooter. Police in that case also asked anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS.
For now, the Queens case remains unresolved, with investigators relying on the public to help identify the driver of the blue tractor-trailer and determine his whereabouts.
