A Nassau County highway patrol officer responding to an accident on the Long Island Expressway early Thursday was struck and killed by another vehicle when he got out of his car to investigate the crash, officials said.
The driver who caused the first crash was arrested later in the day, a police spokesman said.
Joseph Olivieri, a 43-year-old father of two who has been with the department for 14 years, was hit by a Cadillac Escalade after he got out to tend to an injured person in a Toyota Camry.
Eastbound lanes of the LIE in North Hills were shut down after the 4:45 a.m. accident, which happened between exits 34 and 36.
Authorities said the Camry had been in an accident with a 2008 BMW and had continued on down the expressway, when it struck a Honda Civic, stopping in the HOV lane. Olivieri stopped to help the person in the Camry when he was hit.
The Camry driver, who police identified as 25-year-old James Ryan of Oakdale, was treated at a hospital for minor injuries before his arrest.
Ryan was charged with vehicular manslaughter, reckless endangerment, criminal possession of a controlled substance, reckless driving, driving while intoxicated and leaving an incident without a report, police said.
He was set to appear in court Friday. It was not immediately known if he had a lawyer.
