Details emerge over tanker crash in Rockville Centre

The driver of the tanker truck that flipped, crashed into a building and caused a massive fire on Feb. 16 told police that the accident happened after he swerved to avoid a car, according to a police report obtained by the Herald.

The driver, identified as Emanuel Thornton, of Bay Shore, was picked up by police officers in Bellmore after getting out of a taxi that was taking him home from Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital in Oceanside at about 3 a.m. on the day of the crash, and he was released by police after questioning at about 5 a.m.

The gasoline tanker was headed east on Sunrise Highway at about 1:11 a.m. on Feb. 16 when it struck the vacant La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries store, which had been closed for months. The crash sparked a massive fireball as some of the tanker’s 9,200 gallons of fuel spilled from the truck, and part of the building collapsed. Black smoke billowed into the air as the fire spread to the sewers beneath the street.

The crash also caused gasoline to flow into Mill River, which killed several animals, including waterfowl, fish and red-eared slider turtles. State environmental officials said that there was no other visible impact of gasoline in the river beyond the small area where the animals were found dead.

The police reports do not assign blame in the crash. Thornton was driving for Bay Shore-based Rocket Express Corp.

In the wake of the crash, Thornton’s truck was destroyed, and the building had to be demolished.

Some 25 fire departments from surrounding communities rushed to the scene, along with the village Fire Department, Police Department, Department of Public Works and Office of Emergency Management. The state Environmental Conservation and Transportation departments and the Coast Guard were also on the scene. The crash led to power outages and lane closures on Sunrise Highway, and the DEC spent more than a week remediating the site and excavating contaminated soil.

“We are thankful to the surrounding fire departments who came out and supported us,” village spokeswoman Julie Grilli said on Feb. 17. “We’re proud of the Rockville Centre Fire Department, the largest all-volunteer department in the state, and thankful for our village employees, as well as help from the county and state agencies.”