A wrong-way crash killed two men and critically injured a third in Brookhaven early Sunday morning and a Suffolk County police officer was injured in a second crash during the investigation, authorities said.
Kevin Melgar was driving an Infiniti eastbound in the westbound lanes of Sunrise Highway near exit 57 when he crashed head-on into a westbound Chevrolet van driven by Ozcan Ayyidiz at 4:05 a.m., police said.
Melgar, 23, of Brentwood, was pronounced dead at the scene. Ayyidiz, 49, of Mastic Beach, was taken to Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center in East Patchogue, where he was pronounced dead. Melgar’s passenger, 26-year-old Jonathan Valladare, 25, also of Brentwood, was taken to Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center, where he was admitted in critical condition.
While investigators were on the scene, an Isuzu street sweeper drove beyond the road closure and struck two occupied police cars that had emergency lights activated at the time, authorities said.
A highway patrol officer in one of the vehicles, who was identified only as a four-year veteran of the department, was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the street sweeper and a sergeant who was in the other police car were not injured.
Motor Carrier Safety Section officers inspected the street sweeper and issued violations to the driver.
Fifth Squad detectives ask anyone with information on the wrong-way crash to call them at 631-854-8552.
