A Long Island woman killed another woman in a car crash while driving drunk, then attempted to escape in a public safety vehicle, according to authorities.
Rachel Lodice, 21, was driving a Kia and struck a Nissan Altima in Massapequa on Tuesday night, police said.
A 64-year-old woman driving the Nissan was killed, and a 46-year-old female passenger suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the incident, cops said. The victims were not identified further.
A Town of Oyster Bay Public Safety officer responded to the scene in his marked vehicle. After he exited the car, Lodice hopped in and drove away, according to police.
However, she didn’t last long on the lam. Cops found her “a short time later” and arrested her, Nassau County police said in an online update.
Authorities were able to track the public safety vehicle and turn it off remotely, cops told News 12 Long Island.
The crash occurred around 6:45 p.m. Tuesday, cops said. Lodice was traveling southbound on Hicksville Road, and the Nissan Altima was traveling eastbound on Sunrise Highway, according to authorities. The two vehicles collided at the intersection of the two roads.
The 64-year-old Nissan driver was rushed from the scene to a nearby hospital, but she was pronounced dead at 7:34 p.m.
Lodice was charged with second-degree vehicular manslaughter, third-degree grand larceny, leaving the scene of an accident and driving while intoxicated. Her arraignment was scheduled for Wednesday in Nassau County District Court in Hempstead.
Police did not say how fast Lodice’s vehicle was traveling when she slammed into the Nissan or what her blood-alcohol level was at the time of the collision.
