Suffolk County police arrested a Mastic Beach man after he fled from a traffic stop in a U-Haul van and was involved in a hit-and-run crash while in possession of drugs.
On March 1, Fifth Precinct officers attempted to pull over a 2025 Ford van, which was reported stolen from the rental company, on the eastbound Sunrise Highway Service Road in Patchogue. The driver allegedly fled the stop in the van, driving recklessly. The driver was allegedly involved in a hit-and-run crash with another vehicle while traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes on Express Drive North in Holtsville.
The vehicle was then abandoned on Lidge Drive in Farmingville and the occupants fled on foot. The driver of the vehicle, Gerald Matzen, was located by police on Dogwood Avenue in Farmingville at 10:26 a.m.
Matzen, 42, was charged with Criminal Possession of a Narcotic Drug in the Fourth Degree, Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree, Leaving the Scene of a Motor Vehicle Crash with Property Damage, Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle in the Third Degree, Unlawful Fleeing a Police Officer, Reckless Driving, Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree, and Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree. He was also issued multiple traffic summonses and was charged with multiple outstanding warrants.
A passenger in the vehicle, Edwin Jefferson, 48, of Mastic Beach, was located on John Drive in Farmingville and charged with multiple outstanding warrants.
There were no injuries reported in the hit-and-run crash.
The two will be held overnight at the Sixth Precinct and arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on March 2.