State police say that several people were killed when a car careened off the highway into the woods just before 4 a.m. today near the Long Island village of Malverne. MyFoxNY reports that four people were killed and one was injured, while Newsday says that officials have announced that "at least three people were dead—and they are trying determine whether there was a fourth fatality."
The crash occurred on the westbound side between exits 17 and 18, and lanes have been closed.
It's unclear what caused the car to careen off the road, but it's believed that the victims were thrown from the car. A witness told Fox 5 he saw a disoriented man walking near the crash site, "I really think he was the only survivor of the crash." And a resident near the site told Newsday that he saw a man, "He had his cellphone. He was using it as a light and looking around for the people who were in his car, because I guess they weren't in his car."
State police are also using thermal imaging to search for victims.
