Walter Joel Garcia, of Calverton, dies in 1-car crash in Flanders; driver hurt

By Maureen Mullarkeymaureen.mullarkey@newsday.comUpdated May 15, 2024

A 24-year-old Calverton man has died after the vehicle he was riding in crashed into a tree in Flanders Tuesday evening, Southampton Town police said.

At about 5:43 p.m., Southampton police responded to a report of crash on County Route 104 between Sunrise Highway and the Country Route 31 traffic circle, where a vehicle had left the road and crashed into a tree.

The driver and passenger, later identified by police as Walter Joel Garcia, were taken to a hospital.Garcia was pronounced dead, according to police, who did not release any details about the driver.

Police said the investigation is ongoing and ask that anyone with information about the crash call 631-728-5000,

Check back for updates on this developing story.

By Maureen Mullarkey

maureen.mullarkey@newsday.com

Maureen Mullarkey is a breaking news reporter at Newsday. She previously worked as a reporter for Patch, where she covered a range of Long Island stories on topics such as the Diocese of Rockville Centre bankruptcy and the Babylon School District abuse scandals.