What Happened
A 34-year-old Riverhead woman drove a Hyundai into two parked vehicles, evaded multiple officers, and then accelerated back toward a crowd-packed street before a marked patrol car stopped her Sunday during the Riverhead Polish Festival, according to News 12 Long Island. Police identified the driver as Blanca Jimenez-Tapia of Riverhead. The incident was reported August 17, 2026.
An officer assigned to festival security first spotted Jimenez-Tapia driving erratically near the event, police said. Her Hyundai then struck a parked vehicle on Sweezy Avenue. She attempted to leave the scene. As the officer approached the car, the Hyundai struck a second parked vehicle on Sweezy Avenue and again tried to pull away, according to police.
The traffic control officer tried to stop her on foot. Jimenez-Tapia accelerated and fled, police said. The officer radioed nearby units. Moments later, other officers spotted the Hyundai speeding back toward the Polish Festival grounds on Osborne Avenue, a street that had been closed to all vehicle traffic because of the volume of festival attendees on the road.
Multiple officers attempted to intercept the Hyundai on Osborne Avenue, according to News 12 Long Island. Jimenez-Tapia maneuvered around each attempt. One officer then used a marked patrol car to block the Hyundai’s path. Jimenez-Tapia’s car struck the patrol car. The collision disabled her vehicle. Police described the maneuver as “stopping the threat to the public.”
Jimenez-Tapia was taken to a hospital for injuries she sustained in the crash with the patrol car. No injuries to festival attendees or the blocking officer were reported in police accounts released Sunday.
Location & Road Context
Sweezy Avenue and Osborne Avenue are both surface streets in the village of Riverhead in eastern Suffolk County. Osborne Avenue runs near the Polish Festival grounds and was closed to through traffic at the time of the incident specifically because of crowd levels at the event. The sequence covered at least two distinct blocks, from the initial parked-car strikes on Sweezy Avenue to the patrol-car block on Osborne Avenue.
For more on crash history in the Riverhead area, see the Riverhead accidents archive and the Suffolk County roads page.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Suffolk County police charged Jimenez-Tapia with reckless endangerment, unlawful fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle, and multiple vehicle and traffic violations, per News 12 Long Island. She was released on an appearance ticket following her hospital discharge. No arraignment date was specified in police statements released Sunday.
The charge of unlawful fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law carries penalties that escalate with the number of prior offenses and whether injuries resulted. Police did not release information Sunday on Jimenez-Tapia’s prior driving record.
Broader Impact
Osborne Avenue was closed to vehicle traffic at the time of the incident specifically to protect festival pedestrians. Jimenez-Tapia’s decision to drive toward that closure while already wanted for two hit-and-run strikes on Sweezy Avenue prompted the patrol-car block that police credited with preventing further injuries to bystanders in the crowd.