Southampton crash involving 5 vehicles leaves 1 dead, police say

A crash in Southampton that began with a van sideswiping three oncoming vehicles and hitting a fourth head-on, ended with the driver dead and three others injured, the Town police said.

The driver of the 2014 GMC van, Anasser Almontaser, 33, of Staten Island, was pronounced dead at the scene after the crash about 3:15 p.m. Wednesday on County Road 39 near Saint Andrews Road, according the Southampton Town Police. Three people were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Almontaser was heading east on on County Road 39 when the van crossed into the westbound lane and sideswiped a westbound 2019 Volkswagen SUV, the police said. The impact was so great, they added, it dislodged the Volkswagen’s rear driver’s side tire, causing it to spin around in the roadway.

The van then sideswiped a 2017 maroon Toyota pickup carrying various construction items, which were ejected from its bed and landed in the road. 

The GMC then sideswiped a third vehicle, a 2018 International flatbed tow truck, before colliding head-on with a westbound 2022 white Dodge Ram pickup truck.

The crash caused debris to scatter more than 600 feet and left four vehicles "essentially totaled" across all lanes of County Road 39, police said.

Anyone with information about the crash is asked by the Southampton police to call the department at 631-728-5000, the Southampton Town Detective Division at 631-702-2230, or the Crime Hotline at 631-728-3454. All calls will be kept confidential.

Newsday's Nicholas Grasso contributed to this story.