Farmingdale man, 89, and East Meadow woman, 88, dead in single-car crash in Levittown

The driver of a sedan was pronounced dead after the car crashed into a utility pole on North Jerusalem Road in Levittown and his passenger later died at a hospital, Nassau County police said.

About 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Gerhard Frobart, 89, of Farmingdale, was driving a 2001 Ford Taurus south on Loring Road with his passenger, identified as Ella Gimpel, 88, of East Meadow, when the car left the roadway and struck a utility pole, according to Nassau police.

Frobart was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Gimpel suffered serious injuries and was taken to a hospital, where she was also pronounced dead, police said.

Frobart’s son Arthur Frobart, 61, of Bay Shore, told Newsday the family believed his father had been either driving Gimpel home after either a dinner date or a doctor's appointment. Arthur Frobart said authorities told the family it appeared his father had a medical issue, though an autopsy was being conducted to confirm that.

Frobart said his father, a widower who had owned a landscaping company, had begun dating Gimpel late in life.

"They vacationed together, did a lot of things together," he said of the couple. "These were their golden years."

The family is planning a funeral service but had yet to complete arrangements, Frobart said.

An investigation is ongoing.

With Grant Parpan and Nicholas Spangler