A man charged with driving drunk sped down the wrong way of the Southern State Parkway and crashed head-on into an SUV, killing the driver, police said.

Franklin McPherson, 21, of Deer Park, was driving a luxury car westbound on the eastbound lanes near exit 13, Central Avenue, when he collided with a Jeep Cherokee at 3:37 a.m., police said. The Jeep exploded and its driver, 45-year-old Leslie Burgess, of Amityville, who was on his way home from work, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators weren't sure why or where McPherson entered the wrong direction of the parkway. New York State Police Trooper Frank Bandiero said witnesses place the suspect as far east as exit 15, Franklin Avenue.

"Don't drink and drive," Bandiero said. "We say it all the time, but it's simple. One man's life was lost last night."

McPherson faces felony driving while intoxicated and vehicular manslaughter charges.

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