Crime & Safety

Driver Crashes, Ignites Gas Pump and Flees

Plainview and Hicksville firefighters converge to put out fire at Hess station; cops seek driver.

An out-of-control driver crashed into and ignited a gas pump at a busy Hess station Saturday and fled the scene on foot.

Hicksville and Plainview firefighters responded to multiple calls for help just before noon at the Hess on Old Country and South Oyster Bay roads, the Plainview-Hicksville border. They discovered the gas pump ablaze and sheared from its platform.

Firefighters from both departments stretched lines as the station operator shut off the gas pumps, firefighters said. The station's fire suppression system had been activated, dousing the filling station with fire-retardant chemicals.

Plainview firefighters knocked down the fire in the crumpled gas pump; Hicksville firefighters finished it off with fire-retardant foam, authorities said. The pump was no longer connected to the station's main gas supply.

Nassau County Police blocked off roads for several blocks in all directions as the fire was being contained.

No injuries were reported, firefighters said.

One eyewitness told Patch that the driver appeared to be disoriented, driving around and through the station's lot before smashing into the pump.

The driver abandoned his BMW at the scene and fled on foot. The driver is being sought by police, authorities said.

(Did you witness this incident? Tell us what you saw in the comments or give a shout-out to the firefighters who braved this disturbing incident.)



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