Glen Nelson, ‘inspiring’ businessman, killed in Port Jefferson crash

Glen Nelson of Belle Terre, the man killed in a crash Sunday when his Lamborghini sports car ran into a utility pole, was the head of a busy Port Jefferson-based commercial real estate investment firm.

Nelson, 48, “came from nothing” and built his company, the Matrix Group, into a force to be reckoned with, longtime friend Richie Buono said.

“He was one of the most inspiring businessmen in the real estate field that I’ve ever met, and I’ve dealt with all the biggest in Long Island,” said Buono, of Brightwaters.

Nelson, the company’s chief executive, was driving east when he struck a Verizon utility pole on East Broadway at High Street in Port Jefferson about 3:40 p.m. Sunday. He was pronounced dead at St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson, Suffolk County police said. The crash led to an hourslong power outage to 15 customers, a PSEG spokeswoman said. The pole was replaced early Monday by Verizon and PSEG Long Island.

No cause of death has been confirmed, and Sixth Squad detectives are continuing to investigate, police said.

Buono worked with the Matrix Group as an outside consultant and described Nelson as a skilled businessman who put everyone at ease.

Nelson led his company, which he founded in 1993, to amass holdings across the country, including more than 2.5 million square feet of commercial office space and upward of 8,000 apartments, according to Matrix’s website.

Business acumen aside, Buono said Nelson was a family man who was devoted to his four children and longtime companion. His two sons, Philip and Christopher, work at their father’s company, Buono said.