16 C R Y D E R P O I N T OCTOBER GOOD SAMARITAN Rescues man after car crash BY LIAM LA GUERRE Saving a drunken driver from a burning car crash was literally all in a day’s work for one Ozone Park resident. Fuel truck driver Alex Mitchell, 37, was on his shift when he stopped to rescue an allegedly intoxicated John Boisseau, who slammed his car into a tree near Exit 55 on the Long Island Expressway around 2 a.m. on Friday, October 19, police said. And following the crash, the good Samaritan got back in his truck and continued his 12-hour shift. “I didn’t think of my safety,” Mitchell said. “It just happened so fast.” Mitchell was heading to Holtsville in Suffolk County when he noticed the car in front of him started swerving in and out of lanes. 16 CRYDER POINT COURIER | OCTOBER 2013 | WWW.QUEENSCOURIER.COM He thought the driver was either drunk or sleepy so he tried to keep his distance, but suddenly the Chevrolet Blazer drove off the road and smashed into a tree. Mitchell stopped his truck, dialed 9-1-1, and ran towards the SUV because he feared it would explode since it caught on fire. “Regardless of whether he was intoxicated… he is still a person and he was in need of help,” Mitchell said. At first Mitchell couldn’t find Boisseau and thought he had been hurled out the vehicle, but then he heard something coming from under the car. “I’m screaming ‘Hello is everybody alright,’” Mitchell said. “It was dark, smoke everywhere and then he said ‘I’m here, I’m here.’” Boisseau’s leg was stuck under the car, but Mitchell pulled him out with one hand while he was on the phone with 9-1-1. Shortly after, the car was engulfed in flames, which were later extinguished by the East Brentwood Fire Department. Boisseau was taken to Southside Hospital in Bay Shore where he was treated for nonlife threatening injuries and charged with driving while intoxicated by Suffolk County Police. Mitchell, who was in the United States Air Force from 1998-2002, called his boss to explain there was an accident and he would be late, but said nothing of his heroism. “I’m proud. It feels good to do something for somebody,” Mitchell said. “But the best feeling is my friends and family expressing how proud they are.” Ozone Park resident Alex Mitchell saved a driver from a burning vehicle following a crash on the Long Island Expressway. THE COURIER/Photo by Liam La Guerre DOB reviewing Flushing Commons permit BY MELISSA CHAN Developers of the long-stalled $850 million Flushing Commons project have filed their first permit with the city’s Department of Buildings, according to Crain’s and city officials. A DOB spokesperson said the department received and will review an application from TDC Development International and The Rockefeller Group. The near decade-old project will bring housing and retail to downtown Flushing but, according to Crain’s, construction has to begin by October 31, under a contract between the city and developers. The two-phase project, when complete, will include a total of more than 600 residential units, 500,000- square-feet of retail or commercial space and a new YMCA, the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) said. It was broken into two phases as to not disturb nearby businesses and ease parking problems. A 62,000-square-foot YMCA, with two pools, a full-size gym and an indoor running track, will headline the first phase of the project, along with a 1.5-acre space with a fountain plaza and amphitheater, officials said. The second phase includes more housing, commercial and community space. Developers want to modify a portion of Municipal Lot 1 in downtown Flushing, though NYCEDC President Seth Pinsky said existing parking spaces would be maintained during construction. There will be a total of 1,600 parking spaces — an increase of 500 — at the project’s completion, according to officials. The development is expected to create more than 2,600 construction jobs and 1,900 permanent jobs, the NYCEDC said. With additional reporting by Terence M. Cullen Rendering Courtesy of New York City Economic Development Corporation
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