Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
A 67-year-old Deer Park man struck a 13-year-old boy riding a bicycle in West Islip on Sunday evening and fled the scene, setting off a multi-unit police investigation that ended with his arrest outside his own home the following evening, according to Greater Long Island.
The collision took place on Roderick Road near Spruce Avenue in West Islip at approximately 7:45 p.m. on Sunday. The driver — later identified as Charles Dreitlein, of 1 Dix St. in Deer Park — did not stop after striking the boy and instead left the scene. Suffolk County Police confirmed that a 13-year-old male bicyclist was involved in the crash but declined to publicly describe the nature or severity of his injuries, saying only that personal injury resulted from the collision.
Investigators worked through the night and into Monday to identify the vehicle and driver responsible. Suffolk Police Third Precinct Investigative Unit officers led the probe, drawing on assistance from the Criminal Intelligence Section and Third Squad detectives in what authorities characterized as a multi-unit investigation. By Monday evening, that effort had zeroed in on Dreitlein as the suspect. As Greater Long Island reported, officers located Dreitlein outside his Dix Street residence in Deer Park and placed him under arrest at 6:05 p.m. — approximately 22 hours after the crash occurred.
Dreitlein, 67, was charged with third-degree assault and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in personal injury. Following his arrest, he was held overnight at Suffolk Police’s Third Precinct. He is scheduled to appear for arraignment on Tuesday at Suffolk First District Court in Central Islip, according to Suffolk County Police.
The incident drew the response of multiple specialized units within the Suffolk County Police Department, underscoring both the seriousness with which authorities treated the hit-and-run and the investigative resources available to the Third Precinct. The fact that Dreitlein was identified and arrested in under 24 hours — and found at his own home — reflects the efficiency of the coordinated multi-agency effort.
Location & Road Context
Roderick Road near Spruce Avenue sits in a residential section of West Islip, a hamlet on the South Shore of Suffolk County. The area is characterized by suburban side streets with moderate residential traffic — the type of roadway frequently traveled by cyclists and pedestrians, particularly children during evening hours. The proximity to local neighborhoods makes bicycle safety and motorist accountability especially relevant in this area.
West Islip falls under the jurisdiction of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Third Precinct, which covers a large swath of southwestern Suffolk County. For more on traffic conditions and incidents in the area, visit our accidents page and Suffolk County roads coverage.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
The case moved quickly from a reported hit-and-run to a formal arrest within roughly one day, thanks to the involvement of the Third Precinct Investigative Unit, the Criminal Intelligence Section, and Third Squad detectives working in coordination, as detailed by Greater Long Island. The collaborative investigative effort is consistent with how the Third Precinct handles incidents involving vulnerable road users — particularly minors — where physical harm and flight from the scene are involved.
Dreitlein faces two charges: third-degree assault under New York Penal Law, and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in personal injury under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law. He was held overnight at the Third Precinct following his arrest and is due to be arraigned Tuesday at Suffolk First District Court in Central Islip. The specific vehicle Dreitlein is alleged to have been driving at the time of the crash was not described in available reports, and police have not released further details about the circumstances leading up to the collision — such as speed or whether any traffic controls were present at the intersection near Spruce Avenue.
Broader Impact
This incident comes at a moment of heightened attention to traffic violence on Long Island, including a recent high-profile case in which a Deer Park man was convicted following a fatal DWI crash into a nail salon. Hit-and-run crashes involving child cyclists are treated with particular seriousness under New York law: leaving the scene of an accident that causes personal injury is a misdemeanor, but when paired with an assault charge — as it is here — the combined exposure for the defendant increases significantly, and the presence of a minor victim typically weighs heavily in arraignment and sentencing proceedings.