Rabbit Found Alive in Car Grill, Rescued in Suffolk County

A rabbit that a motorist believed had been killed was discovered alive, trapped inside a vehicle’s front grill and rescued by volunteers, a rare but dramatic example of wildlife-vehicle interactions on Long Island. Strong Island Animal Rescue League responded to the call and used tools to remove plastic and vehicle parts to free the animal before transporting it to Sweetbriar Nature Center in Smithtown for a medical check, News 12 Long Island reporter Tara Rincon reported on April 9, 2026.

Rescuers worked on the vehicle on a Wednesday morning, prying away grill components until they could reach the animal, then placed the rabbit into transport for evaluation at Sweetbriar Nature Center, 62 Eckernkamp Drive in Smithtown. Sweetbriar, a 54-acre Environmental Centers Setauket-Smithtown, Inc. facility that operates a licensed wildlife rehabilitation program, completed a health assessment and cleared the rabbit for release back into the wild after treatment and observation. Video of the extraction circulated on local television, including syndicated clips via CBS New York following the News 12 item.

The incident underscores the role of volunteer groups based in the Port Jefferson area and across Suffolk County in handling roadside wildlife emergencies. Strong Island Animal Rescue League frequently posts vehicle-related rescues on social platforms and, in this case, performed extraction and transport before Sweetbriar provided triage and release authorization. The cooperation between volunteer rescuers and a licensed rehabilitation clinic reflects the common local pathway for injured wildlife: volunteer response, licensed medical evaluation, and release when medically appropriate.

The rescue also highlights a wider public-safety and policy context. New York State Department of Transportation estimates roughly 65,000 deer-vehicle collisions statewide each year, and the Federal Highway Administration places U.S. wildlife-vehicle collisions at about 1,000,000 annually, figures that help explain why Suffolk County outlets have reported the county logging roughly 1,448 animal-involved crashes in recent county-level reporting. Seasonal spikes, cited by AAA and local analyses, drive much of the collision volume, but roadside encounters occur year-round and increase demand on volunteer rehabilitators and emergency clinics.

Legal and practical guidance for motorists is clear: New York Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 601 requires drivers who strike certain domestic animals to stop and attempt to locate owners or contact police; for wildlife, state DEC guidance and wildlife-hospital protocols advise motorists to avoid risky handling, pull to a safe location, and contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or an emergency wildlife hospital such as Cornell’s Janet L. Swanson Wildlife Hospital for instruction. If it is safe to do so, reputable sources recommend placing small injured animals in a quiet, dark container for transport to a licensed rehabilitator.

The April 9, 2026 rescue, while not a policy crisis, illustrates the practical limits of official responses and the heavy reliance on volunteer networks and licensed rehab clinics in Suffolk County. The outcome — extraction by Strong Island Animal Rescue League, treatment and release by Sweetbriar Nature Center — is a concrete reminder of how timely calls to local rehabilitators can change an animal’s fate and why seasonal public-safety outreach remains necessary.