5 dead, 1 injured after vehicles collide head-on on Montauk Highway

QUOGUE, LONG ISLAND, NY – Five people were killed and another was injured when two vehicles collided on a Long Island highway late Saturday night, according to Newsday.

Police responded to the scene on Montauk Highway near the intersection with Quogue Street in Quogue after the wreck occurred at about 11:15 p.m. According to investigators, a Nissan Maxima headed west on Montauk Highway went out of its lane, crossed over the center line and crashed head-on into a Toyota Prius going east.

Four people were pronounced dead at the scene while the fifth died at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital.

The people killed were identified as the driver of the Maxima, 22-year-old Justin B. Mendez of Brookhaven, and four people in the Prius. They were the driver, 32-year-old Farhan Zahid of Bay Shore, 25-year-old Ryan J. Kiess of Manhasset, 25-year-old James P. Farrell of Manhasset and his brother, 20-year-old Michael O. Farrell of Manhasset.  Kiess and the Farrell brothers were former star high school lacrosse players in Manhasset.  Another passenger in the Prius, 22-year-old Brianna M. Maglio of Garden City, was critically injured and transported to Peconic Bay Medical Center.

Investigators are trying to determine whether excessive speed by the Nissan Maxima contributed to the wreck.

Quogue Village police detectives are investigating the crash with help from Southampton Town police, New York State Police and Westhampton Beach Village police.

Montauk Highway was shut down for several hours following the incident before reopening Sunday morning.

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