Suffolk teen pleads guilty in 2024 crash of stolen SUV that killed woman, injured her son

A Suffolk teen who killed a woman and severely injured her adult son when he crashed a stolen Range Rover into her vehicle in 2024 pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide and other charges Tuesday.

Matthew Papile, now 18, of Port Jefferson Station, is expected to be sentenced by acting Supreme Court Justice Karen Kerr to 6 to 18 years in state prison when he is returned to the Central Islip courthouse next month.

"Today’s guilty plea underscores the outrageous and utterly unacceptable decision to get behind the wheel of a stolen vehicle while impaired and drive recklessly through the streets of Suffolk County," District Attorney Ray Tierney said in a statement. “The defendant’s choices on that day were selfish, lethal and they ruined lives. We continue to express our condolences to the victim’s family."

Papile was 16 on May 4, 2024 when, shortly after 9 p.m., he drove the luxury SUV into the rear end of a Toyota driven by Marion Napolitano, 73, on Middle Country Road in Centereach. Papile was impaired by drugs and attempted to flee on foot following the crash, police said at the time.

 Prosecutors said Tuesday that an investigation revealed Papile was livestreaming on Instagram while operating the stolen vehicle. 

Napolitano was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital where she was pronounced dead. Her 50-year-old son, who was a passenger in the car that was pushed off the roadway by the impact of the crash, suffered a traumatic brain injury.

Papile confessed his actions that night by answering a series of questions from Assistant District Attorney Ray Varuolo at Tuesday’s plea hearing. He admitted being impaired by cannabis and driving at a high rate of speed while weaving in and out of traffic.

“Do you agree that conduct is reckless and endangered [drivers on the] highway?" Varuolo asked.

“Yes," Papile responded.

Defense attorney Sean Dixon, of Melville, said his client is "extremely remorseful."

“This is a tragic case," Dixon said. "A tragedy on all fronts."

Prosecutors previously said Papile had faced 13 to 39 years in prison if tried as an adult and convicted of the indicted charges, which include felony counts for second-degree manslaughter, aggravated vehicular assault, second-degree assault, criminal possession of stolen property and leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in death.

In the more than two years since his arrest, pretrial hearings were held in Papile’s case and his trial was expected to begin in October. Dixon said prosecutors made a new plea offer within the past week to avoid trial and his client wanted to "take responsibility for his actions."

“He is committed to paying his debt to society," Dixon said.

Prosecutors said at Papile’s June 2024 arraignment that Napolitano’s son, James Miller, had lifesaving surgery following the crash.

A daughter of Napolitano described her mother on an online fundraising page as someone who was loved by friends and family. She enjoyed gardening, animals and watching horror movies, the daughter wrote. She worked at a shopping mall where she liked chatting with customers, she said.

Papile’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 15.

By Grant Parpan

grant.parpan@newsday.com@GrantParpan

Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.