2 dead, 4 hurt after Long Island driver hit series of cars before going up in flames

Two people were killed and four others injured after a wild series of crashes on Long Island shortly before midnight, according to local police.

The chaos started around 11 p.m. Friday in Hempstead when Nassau County Police said the driver behind the wheel of a 2005 Chrysler hit a car occupied by four people near Fulton and Hilton avenues.

Authorities said the driver then took off before hitting three more cars on Fulton Avenue after running a red light at Main Street. The Chrysler "caught fire and became fully engulfed in flames," police said.

Two people inside the charred Chrysler died at the scene. Police had not released their identities nor the circumstances of what caused the unusual series of crashes.

Four others inside the first car struck by the Chrysler, including two kids ages six and eight, were all taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for minor injuries.