Dirt

A 24-year-old man was critically injured when police said he lost control of the dirt bike motorcycle he was riding and crashed into a tree early Friday in Seaford.

Nassau County police have not released the identity of the rider, but said he was taken by police ambulance to a hospital, where he was in critical condition.

The incident occurred at about 2:50 a.m. on Seamans Neck Road.

Police said the man was driving an off-road dirt bike south on Seamans Neck Road and lost control near the intersection of Oxford Lane, striking the tree.

Additional details were not immediately available. Police said the investigation is continuing.

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of "Swee'pea," a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film "Big Shot."