Crime and courts briefs

HAUPPAUGE

1 dead, 2 injured in LIE collision

A Bay Shore woman who was killed when her sport utility vehicle crossed out of the HOV lane on the Long Island Expressway in Hauppauge Wednesday was identified by authorities yesterday along with two injured passengers.

Andrea Acosta, 22, was pronounced dead at the scene, Suffolk police said.

A front-seat passenger, Casandra Carreon, 18, of Brentwood, was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital where she was being treated for serious injuries. Another passenger, Francisco Ayaraca, 19, also of Brentwood, was taken to Stony Brook with injuries that police said were not life-threatening.

Acosta was driving a 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer in the HOV lane of the eastbound LIE, approaching Exit 57 about 4:10 p.m., when she crossed over the lane buffer and across an additional three lanes. She struck a 2013 Hyundai in the far right lane, police said.

Deputy Insp. Stan Grodski of the highway patrol unit said it appeared that Acosta was trying to get to the ramp. "There are skid marks that go across all three lanes," Grodski said.

Gregorio Pisciotti, 50, of Patchogue, the driver of the Hyundai, was not injured.

Anyone with information can call the Fourth Squad at 631-854-8452.

RIVERHEAD

Ritual killings suspected by SPCA

The Suffolk County SPCA said yesterday it is trying to stop what it believes is the ritualistic killing of animals.

Two discoveries last month of dead animals have prompted the animal protection group to offer a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for the ritualistic killing or sacrifice of animals, chief Roy Gross said.

On June 24, the carcasses of three beheaded adult goats were found on the Otis Pike Preserve, in Riverhead, on Line Road near Pole No. 5. Their heads, along with some fruits and vegetables, also were found nearby, Gross said. Less than a week later, the SPCA found a dead rooster nailed to a tree in Islip, at the intersection of Spur Drive South and Freeman Avenue.

Gross said after the beheaded goats were found that the SPCA will investigate such "sacrificial killing and torturing" and that a religious belief is not a "justifiable purpose" under state law.

The crime, a misdemeanor, is punishable by a year in prison and a $1,000 fine per animal, he said.

Anyone with information can call the Suffolk County SPCA at 631-382-7722. Calls will be kept confidential.BAY SHORE

Sleeping driver collides with truck

A head-on collision between a car and a landscaping truck left three men and a child injured yesterday morning in Bay Shore, Suffolk County police said.

The crash on Spur Drive South near Denver Avenue about 7:30 a.m. was caused when the driver of an Acura sedan fell asleep and drifted into the oncoming lane, police said.

The driver of the Acura suffered leg injuries, while a boy in the backseat suffered a bruised head, police said.

One man in the landscaping truck suffered a broken leg and the other a broken arm.

Police did not release the identities of any of those involved and no one was charged.

The adults were taken to Southside Hospital in Bay Shore by the Islip Fire Department, Exchange Ambulance of the Islips and Bay Shore-Brightwaters Rescue Ambulance, while the boy was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip.