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Crash

Jeffrey Krieger mugshot from SCPD

Police arrested a relative of a man involved in a serious car crash on Sunday morning, after the man allegedly interfered with an investigation.

The Suffolk County Police Department said motorcyclist Ricardo Rivas, 53, was seriously injured in the crash, after a pickup truck turned into him at 9:25 a.m. Rivas had been riding a 2002 BMW south on Oakwood Road in Huntington Station when the pickup, a 2013 Chevrolet that had been traveling north on the same road, attempted to turn left onto West 22nd Street and struck him. Police identified the Chevrolet’s driver as 49-year-old Huntington resident Michael Fiordalisi.

About an hour later, police arrested a bystander at the scene, who is Fiordalisi’s family member, and charged him with second-degree obstruction of governmental administration. The SCPD said the suspect, 48-year-old Melville resident Jeffrey Krieger, repeatedly crossed police tape while trying to take photographs of the crash scene.

Rivas, a Huntington Station resident, was treated for serious but non-life-threatening injuries at Stony Brook University Hospital while Fiordalisi was treated at Huntington Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

Krieger, police said, was released on bail and was scheduled to be arraigned in July.

Attorney information for the defendant was not immediately available.

Police impounded both the BMW and the Chevrolet for safety checks.

Detectives from the SCPD’s 2nd Squad are investigating the incident. Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call them at 631-854-8252.

Brett Rainey poses with his girlfriend Danielle and a puppy. Photo from Lisa Karrer

A 27-year-old Huntington Station motorcyclist was killed after colliding with a minivan on Walt Whitman Road in Huntington.

Brett Rainey was riding his 2000 Yamaha north on Walt Whitman Road at about 5:30 p.m. on May 15 when he struck the passenger side of a 2002 Chrysler Town & Country as the driver attempted to make a left turn into a parking lot. Lucas McAfee, an 18-year-old man from Fort Salonga, was driving the minivan.

Rainey was transported to Huntington Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The driver of the minivan and three male passengers were not injured and remained at the scene, according to police.

The death of Rainey has hit his family hard. His older sister Lisa Karrer said her brother was a great man who died too soon.

“He was beautiful,” she said. “From the day he was born he was amazing.”

Karrer described her brother as someone who was always by her side and had a great love of motorcycles. She said he got his first motorcycle at age 4 and spent much of his life riding dirt bikes, motorcycles and Jet Skis.

“He loved the thrill, its freedom and passion,” Karrer.

Rainey’s sister said her brother suffered from a drug addiction for eight years before going to rehab and getting clean. She said he spent his last two years sober, living with her and making his life better.

“He changed his life and he was finally happy,” she said. “He was finally living his life for the first time.”

The 27-year-old was also a father to a 5-year-old girl who was adopted by a family member a few months after being born. The tough decision came from Rainey, who knew she was better off being adopted by a family member, Karrer said.

“He was loving, he loved everybody,” his sister said. “He was always there for anybody.”

Rainey channeled his love for all things mechanical into working as a mechanic for the last couple of years. He also worked at a PetSmart in Huntington Station. When reached for comment, a PetSmart manager who would not give his name said the loss “hit the team really hard.”

Karrer said the family doesn’t want the driver and passengers involved in the minivan to blame themselves. She called it a “terrible accident.”

Services for Rainey are being held in New Jersey, where he is from, his sister said. It will take place this Saturday at Ora L. Wooster Funeral Home in Clementon, N.J.

He is survived by his girlfriend Danielle, sisters Lisa and Laura, his sister-in-law Deborah, his mom Drena Kanz, father Doug Rainey and two younger siblings Lilly and Ries.

Karrer and her wife Deborah Porretto will be hosting a memorial gathering at their home at 39 Dawson Street in Huntington Station on May 30 beginning at 1 p.m. for anyone and everyone who would like to come.

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A Northport man was killed Monday morning when he drove into a tree during rush hour.

According to the Suffolk County Police Department, 42-year-old Gregory Kelly was driving a 2013 Honda Civic south on Old Commack Road in Commack at 7 a.m. He lost control of the car just south of Old Northport Road and struck a tree.

A physician assistant from the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office pronounced Kelly dead at the scene, police said.

Police impounded the Honda for a safety check and detectives from the SCPD’s 4th Squad are investigating the one-car crash.

Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call detectives at 631-854-8452.

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A 16-year-old Miller Place resident was killed after being struck by a car on Route 25A on Tuesday night.

John Luke, a junior at Miller Place High School, was crossing the four-lane highway at the intersection of Route 25A and Miller Place Road when he was hit by a 2015 Chevrolet SUV. The driver, a 35-year-old Farmingville man, was traveling westbound on Route 25A at 11:30 p.m. when the accident occurred.

Luke was transported to John T. Mather Memorial Hospital in Port Jefferson, where he was pronounced dead. The driver was transported to St. Charles Hospital, also in Port Jefferson, where he was treated for trauma and released.

The vehicle was impounded for a safety check and Suffolk County Police 6th Precinct detectives continue to investigate the incident. Detectives are asking anyone with information about the crash to call the 6th Squad at 631-854-8652.

On Wednesday morning, district Superintendent Marianne Higuera, released a statement.

“We are deeply saddened over the loss of a student member of the Miller Place High School Junior Class in a tragic accident Tuesday evening,” she said. “We extend our deepest condolences to the student’s family and friends during this heartbreaking time for the Miller Place community.”

The district also said it is providing resources including grief counselors and support groups for students and staff.

A member of Luke’s family could not be reached for comment.

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A Port Jefferson Station woman was killed over the weekend when a car hit her on North Bicycle Path.

According to the Suffolk County Police Department, a 2002 Honda was heading north on the Port Jefferson Station road shortly after 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 2, when it hit the pedestrian.

Although police did not immediately name the victim, authorities identified her the next day as 73-year-old Rosa Maria Sinchi, a resident of Sweet Woods Court.

Sinchi was brought to John T. Mather Memorial Hospital where, after treatment, she was pronounced dead, police said. The Honda’s driver, 17-year-old Thomas Sammartino, also a Port Jefferson Station resident, was not hurt in the collision and stayed at the scene.

Police impounded the car for a safety check and detectives from the SCPD’s 6th Squad are investigating the incident. Anyone with information is asked the call the squad at 631-854-8652.

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A driver is dead after his car went into a house in Huntington on Friday night.

The Suffolk County Police Department said 49-year-old James Spillane was driving a 2001 Nissan Pathfinder west on Woodhull Road about 11:38 p.m. when he veered to the left and drove across a house’s lawn. He crashed into the northeast corner of the home, which is located near the corner with Hilaire Drive.

Spillane, a Syosset resident, was pronounced dead at the scene. He may have experienced a medical event before the Nissan left the road, police said.

No one in the home was injured, according to police, and the house had minor damage.

Police impounded the Pathfinder for a safety check and detectives from the SCPD’s 2nd Squad are investigating the incident.

Anyone with information is asked to call the detectives at 631-854-8252.

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One woman is dead and another seriously injured after a car crashed into a tree on Thursday afternoon.

The Suffolk County Police Department said Grace Quinones, 20, was driving north in a Dodge Caravan on Randall Road — north of Whiskey Road, along the border of East Shoreham and Ridge — at about 1:15 p.m. She lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a tree.

Her passenger, 38-year-old Deidre Bifulco, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Quinones was in critical condition at Stony Brook University Hospital.

According to addresses provided by police, Quinones and Bifulco are neighbors on Sally Lane in Ridge.

Detectives from the SCPD’s 7th Squad are investigating the single-car crash and police impounded the Dodge for a safety check.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call detectives at 631-852-8752.

Above, Selden Fire Department officials pull off a tricky extrication. Photo from Selden Fire Department

The Selden Fire Department recently extricated a driver from a car that was unsafe after it crashed off the road.

At about 8:55 a.m. on April 26, the fire department responded to a call of a motor vehicle accident, according to a statement from the department. Officials found an older model Dodge Durango off the road at Suffolk County Road 83, at the off-ramp to South Bicycle Path.

It was an elaborate operation, due to the position and angle of the vehicle, according to the department.

Firefighters used specialized equipment to secure the Durango before removing the driver.

“This incident demonstrates some of the many techniques and tools that our first responders are proficient with,” Selden Fire Chief Michael Matteo Jr.  said in a statement. “Selden firefighters followed all proper procedures and protocols, and successfully handled a potentially unstable vehicle, ensuring that no further harm came to the occupants.”

The driver was transported with minor injuries to John T. Mather Memorial Hospital. All Selden units cleared the scene by approximately 9:45 a.m.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation.

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Update: Police reported on April 25 that the pedestrian who was critically hurt in this crash, 56-year-old Coram resident Susan Restrepo, has died of her injuries.

A pedestrian was critically injured on Monday evening when an SUV swerved to avoid a vehicle without headlights on and hit her instead.

According to the Suffolk County Police Department, 28-year-old Justin Vaughan was driving a 1994 Jeep west on Middle Country Road in Coram, west of Homestead Drive, at about 8:20 p.m. when a car without its headlights turned on crossed the road in front of him. Vaughan swerved to avoid a collision and hit pedestrian Susan Restrepo, 56.

Restrepo, a Coram resident, was listed in critical condition at Stony Brook University Hospital, police said. Vaughan was not hurt and the driver of dark vehicle, which was not involved in the crash, is not known.

Police impounded the Jeep for a safety check. Detectives from the SCPD’s 6th Squad are investigating the incident.

Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call the squad at 631-854-8652. All calls will remain confidential.

Gerard Tegins mugshot from SCPD

Police allege a young man drove drunk, blew through a stop sign and crashed into a house early on Saturday morning, causing extensive damage.

The suspect, 20-year-old Gerard Tegins, was driving a 2002 Hyundai SUV south on Harrison Avenue in Miller Place when, at about 2:30 a.m., he passed a stop sign without stopping at the corner of Parkside Avenue, according to the Suffolk County Police Department. Tegins then lost control of the SUV, went across several lawns and crashed into the living room of a house on Parkside.

Police said no one in the home was injured, though the residence suffered extensive damage.

The driver was treated for minor injuries at John T. Mather Memorial Hospital in Port Jefferson, police said. He was the only one in the vehicle at the time of the crash.

Tegins, a Port Jefferson Station resident, was charged with driving while intoxicated, speeding, reckless driving, running a stop sign and failing to stay in a lane.

The defendant’s attorney, Commack-based Michael Alber, did not immediately return a call for comment.