3 killed in Amityville crash, Suffolk police say

A Nesconset man driving a sport utility vehicle and a father and son from Staten Island were killed early Sunday after their vehicles collided on a residential street in Amityville, Suffolk County police said.

Alex Demetrius, 27, of Nesconset, was heading east on Oak Street near Bayview Avenue about 12:35 a.m. in a 2003 BMW X5 when the SUV entered the westbound lane and struck a 2017 Toyota Corolla driven by Joseph Cloonan, 65, of Staten Island, police said.

Demetrius, Cloonan and his son, John Cloonan, 34, also of Staten Island, were pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

The crash closed a section of Oak Street for several hours before police reopened the roadway.

Oak Street resident Larry Bluth, 75, said he was awakened by the crash and saw two vehicles, one directly outside his home, with the front ends ripped off.

“We were sleeping and we heard a bang,” he said. “It looked bad.”

Mourners gathering outside Demetrius’ home were too distraught to speak with a reporter on Sunday afternoon.

“We’re in mourning right now,” one relative said when reached by phone.

Joseph Cloonan’s nephew, Bryan Cloonan, 30, of Manhattan, remembered his uncle as a hardworking man. He said Joseph Cloonan worked three jobs, including as a physical trainer, to provide for his family, which included wife Mary Ann, a daughter, Amy, and another son, Joey, all of Staten Island. Bryan Cloonan said his uncle played guitar in a band.

“He always loved to put on a show,” Bryan Cloonan said. “He was larger than life.”

Both vehicles were impounded for safety checks and the investigation is continuing, police said.

Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call the Suffolk police department First Squad at 631-854-8152.