John Ankelman, of Farmingdale, faces DWI charges after crash critically injures driver in Melville, police say
Suffolk police charged a man with driving while intoxicated after a crash that seriously injured another driver in Melville Thursday night. Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto/kali9
Police charged a Farmingdale man with driving while intoxicated Friday night after a Melville crash critically injured another driver.
The Suffolk County Police Department said John Ankelman, 59, of Farmingdale, was driving a 2025 Mazda CX-7 north on Pinelawn Road in Melville at around 10 p.m. when he crashed head-on into a southbound 2014 Toyota Tacoma on Pinelawn Road that was attempting to make a left turn onto the Long Island Expressway service road.
Both drivers had a green light, police said.
Police charged Ankelman with driving while intoxicated, according to a news release. It was not immediately clear how officers determined Ankelman was intoxicated.
The driver of the Toyota Tacoma was taken to Plainview Hospital and then to North Shore Community Hospital in Manhasset in critical condition, according to police.
Police said Ankelman is scheduled to be arraigned Saturday at First District Court in Central Islip. Attorney information for Ankelman was not immediately available.
Police asked anyone with information on the crash to contact detectives at 631-854-8252.
More coverage: Every 7 minutes on average a traffic crash causing death, injury or significant property damage happens on Long Island. A Newsday investigation found that traffic crashes killed more than 2,100 people between 2014 and 2023 and seriously injured more than 16,000 people. To search for fatal crashes in your area, click here.
Sarra Sounds Off, Ep.16: From Island to island, how football helped overcome tragedy Newsday's Gregg Sarra talks to Carey football player James McGrath about how he has persevered after losing his parents at a young age, and to the Lahainaluna (Hawaii) High School football coach about how his team persevered after the Maui wildfires of 2023, plus a behind-the-scenes look at the All-Long Island teams photo shoot.
Sarra Sounds Off, Ep.16: From Island to island, how football helped overcome tragedy Newsday's Gregg Sarra talks to Carey football player James McGrath about how he has persevered after losing his parents at a young age, and to the Lahainaluna (Hawaii) High School football coach about how his team persevered after the Maui wildfires of 2023, plus a behind-the-scenes look at the All-Long Island teams photo shoot.
