That’s one way to beat traffic.
An alleged drunk driver was arrested Monday for driving his SUV on LIRR train tracks in a caught-on-camera joyride that ended when the vehicle burst into flames, authorities said.
Shocking video posted to social media shows the black Honda SUV taking its bumpy, twilight ride down the tracks on Sunday near the Elmont-UBS Arena station, which resulted in delays across the LIRR system.
Video captured by a mass transit user shows the black
Honda SUV rumbling down the tracks near UBS Arena on
Sunday. Instagram / @longislandwiseguy
Basilio Hedalgo drives into the twilight in a ride that would end with a flaming car and several criminal charges. Instagram / @longislandwiseguyThe SUV does not seem to be taking the tracks in stride — but that does not deter the driver, who plows past the videographer and on his merry way.
The unorthodox route taken by Basilio Hidalgo, of Brooklyn, ended at the Bellerose Station — a distance that spans at least a half-mile of track, according to the MTA.
The joyride would meet a fiery end — with the front end of the car igniting after extensive damage to the tires and engine.
The Floral Park Fire Department put out the flames and removed the car from the tracks using a crane designed to ride on train tracks.
The MTA removed the car from the tracks after first responders
doused the flaming vehicle. MTAPDTrain service in Hempstead Branch was suspended and there were significant delays on Ronkonkoma, Port Jefferson and Oyster Bay branches.
Hidalgo, 40, has been charged with first-degree reckless endangerment, third-degree criminal trespassing, and driving while intoxicated.
