Christian Aroldo Mendoza-Baquiax, 38, of Riverhead, was arrested on a charge of felony driving while intoxicated, police said. He was transported by ambulance to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
A passenger in the vehicle, Nelson Gudiel Reyes Muxin, 33, of Riverhead, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the report said.
Mendoza-Baquiax was operating a 2010 Acura on County Road 105 Wednesday evening around 6:15 p.m. when he collided with several other vehicles on the four-lane highway south of Riverside Drive, before his vehicle overturned, police said.
A seven-vehicle crash on County Road 105 in Riverhead Aug. 7, 2024 killed one person and injured seven others. RiverheadLOCAL/Alek Lewis ©East End Local Media Corp.In all, seven vehicles were involved in the crash, police said.
Eight people were injured, including one flown to Stony Brook University Hospital by a Suffolk County Police Medevac helicopter. No information about the injuries was provided by police.
A four-door Buick sedan sustained heavy front-end damage in a collision with the Acura. EMS personnel were seen administering aid to the operator of the vehicle, which was stopped in the southbound lanes of the highway, south of Riverside Drive, near the bridge.
The Acura sedan operated by Mendoza-Baquiax was overturned in the marked median less than 100 feet north of the mangled Buick sedan.
Several police officers and first responders were seen working to lift Mendoza-Baquiax’s Acura sedan off its roof, so EMS could render assistance to the entrapped victim.
MORE COVERAGE: One reported fatality in multi-vehicle crash on County Road 105 in Riverhead
A black Acura SUV with heavy damage along the driver’s side and front end of the vehicle, airbags deployed and missing its left rear wheel, was stopped in the northbound lanes at the north end of the bridge.
The roadway on the Cross River bridge spanning the Peconic River was strewn with debris from the crash.
Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Flanders Northampton Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Manorville Community Ambulance, Riverhead Fire Department, including its heavy rescue unit, and a Stony Brook University Hospital first responder unit responded to the scene to assess and treat the reported injured, police said.
All lanes of County Road 105 between Flanders Road (NY 24) and Riverside Drive were closed until early this morning while the Riverhead Police Department Detective Division and the New York State Police Forensic Investigation Unit conducted an investigation at the scene.
The investigation remains ongoing at this time, police said. Anyone that may have witnessed the accident or has information in reference to the incident is asked to contact the Riverhead Police Department at (631) 727-4500.
All calls will be kept confidential, police said.
Editor’s note: A criminal charge is an accusation. A person charged with a crime is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
CREDIT: Riverhead Local Denise Civiletti
