Police responded to a report of hazardous material dumped on local roads around Miller Place at about 8pm on Sunday night between Miller Place Road and Echo Avenue to Harrison Avenue and North Country Road.
According to Suffolk County Police, Sixth Precinct officers responded to North Country Road, near Echo Road, in Miller Place at 8:06 p.m. for a report of an oil spill. Town sand vehicles were called to the scene. The incident is under investigation.
Sand covers an oil spill on Miller Place Road on Sunday 08/20/23. Photo: Lon S. Cohen.
By about 9 pm, roads were blocked heading north on both Miller Place Road heading north to Echo Avenue and Harrison Avenue from Route 25A heading north to North Country Road.
At around 11:45 pm, sand was covering the roadway around the intersection of North Country Road and Echo Avenue. Then the trail of sand led to Miller Place Road where it turned south to Route 25A. At the intersection of Route 25A and Miller Place Road a Brookhaven Town street cleaning vehicle was working to sweep the street.
A street cleaner cleans up oil on Miller Place Road on Sunday night, 8/20/23. Photo: Lon S. Cohen.
At around midnight on Harrison Avenue there was heavy police activity. About halfway between Route 25A and North Country Road on Harrison Avenue police had a flatbed truck with an oil tank strapped to the back bed on the side of the road. Suffolk Police seemed to be questioning two or three men outside of the vehicle. Brookhaven Town vehicles were also on the scene as was a Brookhaven Town Fire Marshal truck.
The Suffolk County Fire Marshal’s office said they received the call as a fuel spill.
At midnight, Suffolk Police had no official information other than that there was a report of an oil spill.
According to a description online of the events, an oil tank that was punctured by a scrap collector and driven around the streets in Miller Place neighborhoods leaked oil and water onto the roadways causing a serious hazard.
“A scrap guy found an oil tank from a house. It had oil in it. To get rid of oil he filled tank with water, drilled hole in the tank and drove around to empty it. Oil trail all through Sound Beach and Miller Place,” according to one post on a local community page.
This has not been confirmed by Suffolk County Police nor have arrests been made at the time of the writing of this article.
Sand covers an oil spill on Echo Avenue (looking east toward North Country Road) on Sunday 08/20/23. Photo: Lon S. Cohen.
We will update this story as new information becomes available.
