Police: Man dies in two-vehicle crash, fire on Melville road
Police at the crash site at Walt Whitman Road and Expressway Drive North in Melville on Thursday morning. Credit: Howard Schnapp
A 28-year-old man died in Melville on Thursday morning after hitting a van, Suffolk County police said.
The man was headed south in a 2000 Subaru Legacy on Walt Whitman Road, police said in a news release. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity will not be released until his family is notified.
The driver of the 2016 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van, Daniel Batista, 37, of Selden, who was on Expressway Drive North, and his three passengers were taken to Plainview Hospital to be treated for minor injuries, police said.
The 5:15 a.m. collision and resulting car fire closed the section of Walt Whitman Road between Expressway Drive North and Expressway Drive South until shortly before noon.
Both vehicles were impounded to undergo safety checks. Anyone with information was asked to call the Second Squad at 631-854-8252.
'That's a shame' Port Jefferson and Amityville are dropping their varsity football programs for the 2026 season. Newsday's High School Sports Editor Gregg Sarra reports.
'That's a shame' Port Jefferson and Amityville are dropping their varsity football programs for the 2026 season. Newsday's High School Sports Editor Gregg Sarra reports.
