Smithtown man killed in motor vehicle crash on LIE

Suffolk County Police arrested a man on April 5 for aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor
vehicle following a fatal crash in Brentwood.

Brandon Gillespie was at the wheel of a 2012 Jeep Liberty stopped in the right lane of eastbound Long
Island Expressway, east of Sagtikos Parkway, when the vehicle was rear-ended by a 2016 Ford box
truck at approximately 12:45 a.m. Gillespie, 36, of Smithtown was pronounced dead at the scene by a physician assistant from the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner.

The driver of the Ford, Taron Smith, was not injured. Smith, 31, of Patchogue was arrested and charged with alleged Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle 3rd Degree. He was also issued multiple summonses for Federal Motor Carrier Safety violations. He will be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip at a later date.

Both vehicles were impounded for safety checks.

Anyone with information on this crash is asked to call the Third Squad at 631-854-8352.