Long Island street racing crew busted after high-speed stunts and reckless car meets: cops

A dangerous group of street racers accused of a slew of reckless incidents that put motorists’ lives at risk have been taken off the roads by Suffolk County police, officials said. 

Three men and a 17-year-old boy were arrested and had their cars impounded over the weekend by the county’s Street Takeover Task Force following an investigation into a series of illegal car meets and high-speed stunts across the county that police said endangered drivers, pedestrians and even responding officers who had to chase down the reckless roadsters. 

David Alvarado Zelaya, 26, Daniel Velasquez Chavez, 24, and an unnamed 17-year-old boy along with the teen’s cousin, Gerardo Benitez, 26, were charged with a range of offenses including unlawful speed contests and sideshows, reckless endangerment and driving, fleeing police in a motor vehicle, and falsely reporting an incident, police said.

“The Street Takeover Task Force has made Suffolk County safer by taking dangerous drivers off the roads, impounding vehicles, and making our streets safer,” Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said.

Police said the arrests stemmed from three separate incidents in December in which the four men allegedly shut down parking lots, performed burnouts and fled from officers at high rates of speed, forcing police to chase them through busy roadways.

In one case, authorities said Zelaya was spotted performing a burnout in a 2020 Dodge Charger in a Shirley parking lot on Dec. 28, prompting officers to impound the vehicle, which police said also had multiple equipment violations.

In another incident days earlier in Brentwood, police said Velasquez Chavez allegedly burned rubber and then took off when officers attempted a traffic stop, fleeing recklessly at high speed.

The 17-year-old boy was also accused of fleeing police from a Selden parking lot on Nov. 28 in a 2013 Hyundai Genesis, authorities said, adding that the teen’s cousin, Benitez, later reported the car stolen — a claim police say was false.

“Illegal car meets put lives at risk and are an overall nuisance on our roadways. We will continue to investigate these incidents and hold those responsible accountable while keeping our roadways safe,” Suffolk Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said. 

The county executive praised Catalina and the task force for cracking down on what he called a growing quality-of-life problem, detailing that the unit has moved aggressively to identify organizers and participants before illegal car meets spiral into chaos.

Since its inception in November 2024, the Street Takeover Task Force has broken up 92 illegal meets and takeovers, issued 8,656 summonses, made 65 arrests and impounded 103 vehicles, police said.