Riverhead man dies in head-on car collision in Southampton
A 23-year-old Riverhead man died from serious injuries after colliding with another car in Southampton this weekend, according to a Southampton Town Police Department news release.
Patrol units responded to the motor vehicle collision on Flanders Road near Birch Creek Road in Flanders just before 3 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 14. The two motor vehicles involved in the head-on collision sustained “catastrophic damage,” according to law enforcement.
Juan Camilo Alape-Penuela of Riverhead, who was driving a 2005 Grey Honda four-door sedan, was fatally injured and pronounced dead at the scene. Two women passengers in the Honda suffered serious physical injuries. One was ejected from the vehicle, while the other was entrapped in the car.
Members of the Flanders Fire Department extricated the entrapped woman, and she was then flown by Suffolk County Police helicopter to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment. The other woman was transported by ambulance to Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead.
The driver of the 2025 White Chevrolet Malibu sustained a head injury and was transported to PBMC for treatment.
Southampton Town police detectives responded to the scene, and received assistance from the Flanders Northampton Ambulance, Riverhead Town Ambulance, Southampton Village Volunteer Ambulance and Hampton Bays Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Westhampton Beach Village Police, New York State Police and Suffolk County Park Rangers.
The Southampton Town Police Department’s Drone Unit searched the road and marsh areas adjacent to Flanders Road near the collision site for any possible additional victims. The New York State Forensic Identification Unit aided with the investigation and accident scene crash reconstruction.
Flanders Road reopened at 9:45 a.m. after being closed for several hours between Longneck Boulevard in Flanders and Red Creek Road in Hampton Bays.
The incident is under active investigation by the Southampton Town Police Detective Division. Anyone with information on this incident is encouraged to call 631-702-2230 or 631-728-3400. For further information, contact Det. Sgt. Gina Laferrera at [email protected].
