Gasoline Tanker Overturns at Nassau-Queens Border, Spilling 2,000 Gallons and Triggering Massive Response

MEADOWMERE, N.Y. — An overturned gasoline tanker spilled around 2,000 gallons of fuel directly along the Nassau-Queens border late Wednesday morning, triggering a massive multi-jurisdictional emergency response.

The crash occurred shortly after 11 a.m. at East Avenue and Rockaway Turnpike in Meadowmere, where Nassau County meets Queens and Rockaway Turnpike transitions into Rockaway Boulevard.

Video from a nearby business shows the tanker making a left turn from East Avenue onto northbound Rockaway Turnpike when the trailer begins to tip, pulling the truck onto its passenger side.

Gasoline immediately began pouring from the tanker and pooling across the roadway. Bystander video from the immediate aftermath shows the driver climbing out through a rear window of the cab as fuel continued spilling around the vehicle.

The 12,400-gallon tanker was carrying approximately 8,500 gallons of gasoline, according to Nassau County fire officials. An estimated 2,000 gallons spilled onto the roadway, into storm drains and into waterways connected to Jamaica Bay before the leak was largely stopped.

Firefighters covered the tanker and spilled gasoline with foam to suppress flammable vapors and reduce the risk of ignition.

A visible sheen could be seen on the water beneath the nearby bridge Wednesday afternoon as crews worked to contain runoff. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and U.S. Coast Guard responded to monitor contamination from the spill.

The crash's location directly along the Nassau-Queens border prompted an extensive response from both sides of the county line. Approximately 100 firefighters from 17 Nassau County volunteer fire departments responded alongside the FDNY, Nassau County Police and hazardous materials teams.

Three people, including the tanker driver, were evaluated at the scene but did not require transportation to a hospital, officials said. No other vehicles were involved.

Rockaway Turnpike was closed in both directions between Peninsula Boulevard in Nassau County and Brookville Boulevard in Queens, causing significant traffic disruptions during the lunch rush.

Motorists attempting to navigate the closures flooded surrounding residential streets, with traffic stretching nearly half a mile along some local roads. Q113 and Q114 bus service was also affected.

Crews were expected to spend several hours transferring the gasoline remaining inside the overturned tanker into another truck before the vehicle could be uprighted and removed.

Nassau County Police are investigating the circumstances leading up to the rollover.