Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
Two teenage girls were struck by a hit-and-run driver on Sunrise Highway near Merrick Avenue in Merrick late on a Friday night, leaving police searching for a male suspect who fled the scene without stopping. According to LongIsland.com, Nassau County Police Department’s Seventh Squad responded to Sunrise Highway in the vicinity of Merrick Avenue at approximately 10:30 p.m. on Friday, May 22, 2026, following reports of a vehicular accident.
The two victims — a 15-year-old female and a 17-year-old female — were crossing Sunrise Highway when they were struck by an unknown dark-colored SUV, detectives said. The circumstances of the crossing, including whether the teens were using a marked crosswalk or intersection at the time of the collision, have not been specified by police in initial reports. What is clear, per LongIsland.com, is that the impact was sufficient to require both young women to be transported by emergency personnel to a local area hospital for treatment.
Fortunately, both victims sustained what detectives described as minor injuries, and neither is reported to be in a life-threatening condition. Despite the relatively lower severity of the physical injuries, the incident carries serious criminal weight: the male driver behind the wheel of the dark-colored SUV did not remain at the scene, did not render aid, and did not exchange information with the victims — all legal obligations under New York State law when a vehicle is involved in a collision that results in injury.
Following the strike, the suspect vehicle departed the scene traveling eastbound on Sunrise Highway, according to police. Investigators have not publicly identified the make, model, or license plate of the SUV beyond describing it as dark in color. The fact that the incident was described as “caught on video” in the NCPD’s public-facing announcement indicates that surveillance footage — whether from roadside cameras, nearby businesses, or another source — captured imagery of the suspect vehicle around the time of the crash. Nassau County police released a screenshot from that footage as part of their public appeal for assistance in identifying the driver.
Nassau County Police Department’s Seventh Squad detectives are leading the investigation. As reported by LongIsland.com, detectives are requesting that anyone with information about the vehicle or the suspect contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS, or call 911 directly. All callers to Crime Stoppers will remain anonymous. The incident was publicly reported on June 17, 2026 — more than three weeks after the crash itself — suggesting investigators may have been working the case and gathering video evidence before making the public appeal.
Location & Road Context
Sunrise Highway (NY Route 27) is one of the most heavily traveled east-west arterial roads on Long Island, running through the heart of Nassau County’s South Shore communities before extending deep into Suffolk County. The stretch through Merrick is a commercial corridor lined with businesses, intersections, and crosswalks, but the high-speed, multi-lane nature of the roadway makes pedestrian crossings — especially at night — inherently dangerous. The intersection with Merrick Avenue is a significant cross-street in the area, serving as a primary north-south connector between the communities of Merrick and North Merrick.
Late-night pedestrian activity on Sunrise Highway is a documented concern across Nassau County’s South Shore. At 10:30 p.m. on a Friday in late May, ambient lighting conditions, combined with a multi-lane roadway and active vehicle traffic, create elevated risk for pedestrians attempting to cross. For more on road conditions and traffic patterns along this corridor, see our coverage of recent incidents in Merrick and a related traffic advisory in nearby Seaford.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
As of the June 17, 2026 public report, the male suspect behind the wheel of the dark-colored SUV has not been identified or apprehended, and no charges have been filed. Nassau County police are actively seeking the public’s help to identify the vehicle and its driver. In New York State, leaving the scene of an accident involving personal injury without exchanging information or rendering aid is a criminal offense — leaving the scene of a personal injury accident is a Class A misdemeanor at minimum, and can be elevated to a felony depending on the severity of injuries and circumstances.
The surveillance video released by NCPD represents the most significant piece of evidence currently available to investigators. Anyone who recognizes the dark-colored SUV depicted in that footage, or who witnessed the crash on Sunrise Highway near Merrick Avenue on the night of May 22, 2026, is urged to contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS or call 911. All tips submitted to Crime Stoppers are completely anonymous.
Broader Impact
This incident comes just days after Nassau County police stepped up patrols and issued warnings about teen safety at summer events following two separate teen assaults in Merrick in late May 2026 — underscoring a broader pattern of safety concerns involving young people in the Merrick area as the summer season ramps up. The hit-and-run on Sunrise Highway adds a pedestrian safety dimension to that picture, and the release of surveillance footage signals that Nassau County authorities are committed to pursuing accountability even weeks after the fact.