Driver, 16, killed in Old Brookville crash was Seaford student, district says

Nassau police on Monday identified a 16-year-old driver killed in a crash in Old Brookville that left three other teenage passengers injured as Angelia Dominguez, an honor student at Seaford High School, according to online records.

Dominguez was driving a 2008 Nissan westbound at 3:37 a.m. Sunday on Chicken Valley Road, near the intersection of Brookville Lane, when she lost control of the vehicle and struck a tree, police said. She was pronounced dead at the scene by a Nassau police medic, authorities said.

Three male passengers in the vehicle, ages 14, 15 and 16, all later identified as students at Hicksville High School, were taken to hospitals for treatment, according to police and school officials.

The 16-year-old boy was in critical condition Sunday afternoon, police said. The other teens were listed in stable condition. None of their identities were released and updates on the victims' conditions were not available Monday.

School district officials in Seaford and Hicksville sent letters to parents informing them of the crash and offering grief counseling to students.

"There are no words that we can share that can console the grief that Angelia’s family and friends must be experiencing at this time," Seaford High School Principal Nicole Schnabel wrote. "As part of Angelia’s community and extended family, we will do whatever we can to provide support and resources considering the horrible tragedy."

Dominguez, a junior at the high school, earned honor roll status last year and was among several students cited during the 2020 hybrid learning year for "thoughtful, compassionate and empathetic behaviors toward their peers related to academics and social situations," online records show.

School counselors and psychologists said they will provide grief support to students throughout the week. A moment of silence was conducted to remember Dominguez during morning announcements, Schnabel wrote.

"We expect this will be an emotional moment for our building, and our staff has been instructed to refer any student exhibiting distress to the Crisis Intervention Team immediately," she wrote. "Throughout the week, we will continue to support grieving students through various intervention strategies, including visitations to physical education classrooms as an effort to offer additional grief support."

Hicksville Schools Superintendent Marianne Litzman said the district was praying for the recovery of the injured students and grieving the loss of Dominguez.

"We know the days and weeks ahead will be extremely challenging for the families and friends affected by this tragedy," Litzman wrote. "As such, our school psychologists and counselors will be available to any student or staff member who needs assistance during this difficult time."

The investigation into the crash is ongoing, police said. It is unclear why the teens were in Old Brookville or where they were heading in the predawn hours.

On Long Island, a 16-year-old can drive with a junior driver's license but restrictions are tightly limited between the hours of 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., according to the state Department of Motor Vehicles. During that time, a junior license holder can only operate a vehicle between home and places such as certain types of educational settings unless a licensed driver at least 21 years old is present.

State law also stipulates that there be no more than one passenger under the age of 21 in the vehicle unless the passengers are members of the junior license holder's immediate family and a supervising driver is present.

Dominguez is the fourth teen killed in a motor vehicle crash on Long Island in less than a month.

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.