2 teens in stolen SUVs charged in deadly SSP crash last July, Suffolk DA says

Two teens have been charged with recklessly driving a pair of stolen SUVs on the Southern State Parkway last year, leading to a crash in Babylon that killed a 75-year-old man, Suffolk County prosecutors said.

A 16-year-old boy was driving a stolen Jeep Cherokee and a 15-year-old boy was behind the wheel of a stolen Range Rover, prosecutors said, both speeding and heading east on the Southern State Parkway on July 12 before the crash. 

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said the teen in the Jeep was weaving in and out of traffic while driving at speeds of more than 100 mph. The teen driving the Range Rover was following the other SUV when he attempted to pass and collided with two cars, causing a Mitsubishi Outlander to flip, killing Holbrook resident Richard Riggs, and sending a Toyota Prius to crash into the center divider near Exit 38 in North Babylon.

The Prius driver cut his head and required staples, prosecutors said.

Officials are not identifying the two teens because they are minors.

“It is alleged that these defendants recklessly sped through the parkway with vehicles that did not belong to them without considering the laws they were breaking and the lives they put at risk including their own,” Tierney said in a statement Friday. “This was a senseless crime that took the life of a husband, a father and grandfather for no good reason. We look forward to bringing those responsible to justice.”

In July, members of Riggs' family told Newsday they drove by the crash and saw his car overturned on the parkway but could not stop. Riggs was an auto parts salesperson and his wife, Carol, said last year of her husband of 52 years: "I loved him and he loved me. There will never be another Richard. … This is totally senseless."

Family members expressed anger the day after the crash and sought justice for Riggs while police looked for suspects.

New York State Police said the Range Rover had been stolen a week earlier from a home in Garden City. After the crash, the stolen white Jeep Cherokee turned around and pulled over next to the crashed Range Rover; the 15-year-old driver and another passenger got into the Jeep before it sped away, police said.

The 16-year-old was involved in a hit-and-run crash later that day in Bay Shore when he ran a stop sign and sped away, police said, causing the driver in the other vehicle to suffer minor injuries.

Police said they used DNA evidence to link the teen to the crashes.

State Police troopers attempted to arrest the teen Friday morning at a juvenile detention center in Westchester County, where he was being held on a separate charge. Police said the teen jumped out a window and ran away and was later found by police in the backyard of a home.

Both teens were charged with second-degree manslaughter, second-degree assault and third-degree criminal possession of stolen property. 

The now 17-year-old defendant, who is being tried as an adult, appeared Friday in Suffolk County Court, where he was ordered held on $500,000 cash bail or bond between $750,000 to $1 million. He is due back in court on Wednesday.

His Copiague attorney Bill Sammis said Saturday morning that the teen was presumed innocent and he could not comment on the case. Sammis said he would attempt to move the case to Family Court.

The teen who was 15 at the time of the crash was arraigned Friday as a juvenile in Family Court.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.