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Ten injured in North Bellport crash

BY BILL MASON | bill.mason@newsday.com

10:49 PM EST, February 19, 2008

Five children on their way to the movies were among 10 people injured when an unlicensed driver on drugs crashed into two cars Tuesday in North Bellport, police said.

At least one of the children had life-threatening injuries, police said.

A 1995 Jeep driven by Stephen Catalano, 37, of West Babylon, was traveling north on County Road 101 at 12:18 p.m. when it crashed into a 1997 Saturn sedan driven by Rachel Williams, 19, of Bellport. The car, whose passengers were ages 11, 12, 13 and 14, was traveling west at the intersection of Woodside Avenue in North Bellport.

Catalano's vehicle then collided with a 2003 Pontiac on Woodside Avenue that was waiting to make a turn onto County Road 101, police said. The Pontiac was driven by Giuseppe Lucchese, 54, of Mastic.

Catalano was charged with driving while impaired by drugs, police said. He was hospitalized in stable condition in police custody at Brookhaven hospital.

Angelica Nappi, 14, was admitted to Brookhaven with a serious head injury and is in critical condition, and Brittany Combs, 11, was admitted to Brookhaven with serious head injuries, police said. She was in critical condition last night, a Stony Brook spokeswoman said. Nicollete Nappi, 12, Tanisha Combs, 13, and Tesheara Fields, 14, also were treated for their injuries, but Brookhaven hospital declined to comment on the injuries of any of their non-adult patients.

Two passengers in Catalano's vehicle, Mark Cutino, 25, and Edward Rohrbach, 53, were transported from the scene by a Suffolk County Police helicopter to Stony Brook University Medical Center and admitted with serious injuries. Rohrbach was in critical condition and Cutino was in stable condition Tuesday night.

Williams was taken to Brookhaven Memorial hospital, treated and released.

Lucchese also was taken to Brookhaven for treatment, police said, but no information was available concerning his injuries.