Deadly weekend on Long Island roads; 4 killed in separate crashes, police say
Suffolk County officers on the scene where police said a pedestrian crossing Sunrise Highway near 35th Street in Copiague was struck and killed by a sport utility vehicle Friday night. Credit: Paul Mazza
At least four people were killed on roadways this weekend, marking the latest string of deaths due to car crashes on Long Island.
The latest fatalities continue a trend of deadly roadway crashes that were seen throughout the summer, with about three dozen deaths since Aug. 1, according to news releases from police in Nassau and Suffolk counties.
On Saturday about 6:55 p.m., Elmer Mendoza, 36, of Medford, was crossing Montauk Highway in Bellport on foot when he was struck by a 2013 Ford F-150 Raptor traveling east, according to Suffolk police.
Mendoza was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Ford, Matthew Kerins, 59, of Brookhaven, was not injured.
Police impounded the vehicle for a safety check.
In the early hours of Saturday, Suffolk police said a Bay Shore man was killed when he crashed his motorcycle into a box truck in Bohemia.
Police said Brandon Schwartz, 31, was riding his 2019 Honda motorcycle westbound in the middle lane of Sunrise Highway when his motorcycle hit the rear of a 2021 Freightliner box truck at about 5:40 a.m.
Police transported Schwartz to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. Luis Lopez Garcia, 23, of Riverhead, who was driving the box truck, was not injured, police said.
Fifth Squad detectives are investigating both crashes and ask anyone with information to call 631-854-8552.
Also on Saturday, a car fleeing from Nassau County police crashed into a tree at East Jericho Turnpike and Parkside Drive in Mineola at about 1:30 a.m., killing the juvenile passenger, according to a police statement.
The crash occurred after police officers responded to a 911 call about "multiple larcenies" and attempted to stop two vehicles, which fled the scene at Lexington Street and Carle Road, police said. The driver of one of the cars lost control and hit a tree.
A police spokesperson said the car was driving "at a high rate of speed." The spokesperson added that the Nassau Police Department has a non-pursuit policy.
The passenger and driver of the car were taken by ambulance to a hospital, where the passenger was pronounced dead at 2:29 a.m. The driver, also a juvenile, was treated for injuries that were not life-threatening and was taken into police custody, according to the statement.
The injured driver will be arraigned when medically practical, police said.
Nassau police said the New York State Attorney General's Office has been notified about the incident.
Police could not immediately provide further details Sunday about what happened.
On Friday night, a man was fatally struck by a sport utility vehicle while walking across Sunrise Highway in Copiague, Suffolk County police said.
The man, who has not been identified by police, was walking south when he was hit by a Jeep Grand Cherokee heading east on the highway at 11:57 p.m., near 35th Street, police said.
He was pronounced dead at the scene by an EMT with the Copiague Fire Department, according to police.
The driver was not injured, and the Jeep was impounded for a safety check.
Suffolk County detectives ask anyone with information to call the First Squad at 631-854-8152.
With Tracy Tullis and Lorena Mongelli
