EAST HAMPTON, N.Y. -- Police said that comedian Jerry Seinfeld was in a harrowing rollover wreck but was unhurt after the brakes on one of his vintage cars failed on a road in the Hamptons.

East Hampton Town Police Chief Todd Sarris told the New York Post that Seinfeld was driving alone on Skimhampton Road when the brakes on his 1967 Fiat BTM stopped working Saturday evening.

The chief said that Seinfeld tried the emergency brake, but that didn't help. So he swerved to keep the car from heading into the road's intersection with the busy Montauk Highway.

Sarris said the two-door sedan flipped over and came to a stop just yards from the highway. He said the comic's maneuver "probably avoided a very serious accident."

Seinfeld's wife, Jessica, told the Post that the incident hit her husband when he got home.

"He was a little shocked when he walked in and it started to dawn on him what happened," she said.

The chief said the wreck was attributed to mechanical failure, and no summonses were issued. The 53-year-old Seinfeld didn't need medical attention.

Not surprisingly, Seinfeld made a joke over what happened. He was quoted in the Post as saying, "Because I know there are kids out there, I want to make sure they all know that driving without braking is not something I recommend, unless you have professional clown training or a comedy background, as I do. It is not something I plan to make a habit of."

Seinfeld's credits include his self-titled sitcom, which ended in 1998 after nine seasons on the air.

His latest project, the animated feature film, "Bee Movie," debuted in theaters in November. The comic was a producer, voiced the lead role and co-wrote the script for the movie, which was four years in the making.