Police identify two people killed in separate Suffolk crashes
The scene of multicar crash on westbound portion of Sunrise Highway in Holbrook. Credit: Tom Lambui
Two early-morning crashes Saturday claimed two lives in Suffolk County — including a pedestrian killed in a hit-and-run and a driver who died after a seven-car collision, according to Suffolk County police.
In Huntington Station, a car believed to be a small to midsized SUV fled the scene after fatally hitting community resident Bernarda Fernandez, 49, at about 3:55 a.m., police said. Fernandez was crossing Jericho Turnpike at Oakwood Road when she was struck by a car heading west on Jericho, police said. She was pronounced dead at Huntington Hospital.
Less than hour later, Kelvin Saula-Bueno, 22, of Bay Shore, who was driving a 2002 Toyota Celica, died in a multiple-car wreck in Holbrook, police said. Three other drivers also were taken to area hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries.
The collision happened on westbound Sunrise Highway between Broadway and Lincoln Boulevard at about 4:35 a.m., police said.
Police are on the lookout for the Huntington Station driver and a 2012 Mazda driver involved in the Holbrook crash who they said fled on foot. Both crashes are being investigated by detectives from the Major Case Unit. Anyone with information about either crash is asked to call Suffolk County Crime Stoppers at 800-220-TIPS.
Later Saturday morning, a crash on the Long Island Expressway near Exit 61 left two people with minor injuries and caused an oil spill, Suffolk police said. The westbound right lane between Exits 61 and 62 was closed for several hours but has since reopened.
That accident unfolded at about 5 a.m. when a BMW rear-ended a Subaru that careened off the road and struck trees before coming to a stop on the service road, police said.
Two other cars then struck crash debris left by the stranded BMW, which lost its wheel and axle, police said.
To avoid another collision, police said, an approaching 18-wheel tractor trailer slammed on the brakes, jackknifed and subsequently spilled fuel. The state Department of Environmental Conservation was on the scene and a cleanup was underway.
Check back for updates on this developing story.
Lorena Mongelli has been reporting for Newsday since 2021. Prior to that, she covered breaking news at the New York Post.
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