what to know
- Police have arrested a driver who they said was speeding and high on drugs when he caused a horrific and tragic car accident on Long Island that killed a father and two of his children, and left two of his other children in handcuffs. to the life.
- Michael Deangelo was arrested Friday for the deadly crash in Massapequa that occurred five days earlier. It was not immediately clear what charges the 32-year-old faces, and information for Deangelo’s attorney was not available.
- According to police, Deangelo was high on cocaine and fentanyl while speeding down Sunrise Freeway just before 7:30 p.m. Sunday. He allegedly was driving over 120 mph just before he crashed into the SUV driven by 61-year-old Patrice Huntley, who was stopped in the center lane at a red light.
NEW YORK — Police have arrested a driver they said was speeding and high on drugs when he caused a horrifying and tragic car crash on Long Island that killed a father and two of his children and left two of their children behind. his other children clinging to life.
Michael Deangelo was arrested Friday for the deadly crash in Massapequa that occurred five days earlier. It was not immediately clear what charges the 32-year-old faces, and information for Deangelo’s attorney was not available.
According to police, Deangelo was high on cocaine and fentanyl while speeding down Sunrise Freeway just before 7:30 p.m. Sunday. He allegedly was driving over 120 mph just before he crashed into the SUV driven by 61-year-old Patrice Huntley, who was stopped in the center lane at a red light.
Huntley, her 12-year-old daughter Hannah and 11-year-old son Jeremiah died in the crash that crushed the SUV like an aluminum can. Huntley and her daughter Hannah were pronounced dead at the scene. Jeremiah was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Huntley’s 18-year-old daughter, Brienna Peoples, and 6-year-old granddaughter, Chantel Solomon, were still in critical condition at hospital Friday, fighting for their lives with what police called “extreme internal injuries,” including a brain hemorrhage, that they may never fully recover.
Another of Huntley’s sons, 14-year-old David, was in the front seat and miraculously survived, sustaining back and rib injuries, but is expected to survive. David got out of the accident before collapsing on the road. He said the car that hit them was running on the street before the accident, according to his mother, who spoke to NBC New York in the days immediately after the accident.
On Sunday, the boys and Huntley had been celebrating their new job and were on their way to buy ice cream when the car rear-ended them.
Investigators have said the driver of the speeding Hyundai, Deangelo, rear-ended Huntely’s SUV, which then crashed into the car in front of him before flipping over and crashing into another vehicle at the traffic light. Rescuers had to work on several cars, at one point cutting through the metal of a vehicle to get inside.
The driver of the Chevrolet Malibu ahead of Huntley, an 83-year-old man, was injured and treated at the hospital. The driver of the third car hit, a 33-year-old man, refused to receive medical attention at the scene.
Deangelo suffered compound ankle fractures and other injuries. Police said Friday that just a second before the crash, he was traveling at 120.5 mph. They didn’t say where Deangelo was before the accident, but he’s been arrested twice before, twice for driving under the influence.
“His behavior before the accident, his reckless driving, all contributed to this accident killing three people,” Det. Captain Stephen Fitzpatrick, Nassau County Police.
Deangelo was processed in his bed at Nassau University Medical Center. He pleaded not guilty and his bail was set at $500,000 cash. His next court date is scheduled for August 15.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
