Huntington motorcyclist dies in Melville crash involving motorcycle, Kia, fire

A Huntington man died after his Ducati motorcycle hit the rear of a Kia Seltos on Round Swamp Road in Melville, was thrown from the bike and then watched as the motorcycle caught fire near Hilltop Drive.

Suffolk County police identified the rider as Anees Khan, 38, of Huntington. Investigators said Khan was traveling southbound on Round Swamp Road at about 6:45 p.m. on May 22 when he attempted to pass a southbound 2022 Kia Seltos driven by Stephen Kutcher, 85, of Plainview, with Susan Kutcher, 85, also of Plainview, as a passenger.

Police said Khan’s 2023 Ducati struck the Kia’s right rear bumper, sending him off the motorcycle. He was pronounced dead at the scene by a physician assistant from the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office. The motorcycle then caught fire, adding another layer of severity to a crash that unfolded during the evening rush hour on a road used by local commuters and neighborhood traffic.

Neither Stephen Kutcher nor Susan Kutcher was injured, police said. Both vehicles were impounded for safety checks as detectives with the Suffolk County Police Second Squad took over the investigation. The department posted its crash alert on May 23 and asked anyone with information to contact Second Squad investigators.

The collision also underscores how unforgiving a passing maneuver can be for motorcyclists on a busy Suffolk roadway. Even a brief loss of control can turn fatal when a motorcycle, unlike a passenger vehicle, offers no protective shell. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data show that motorcyclists accounted for 16% of all U.S. traffic fatalities in 2024, with 6,228 riders killed nationwide, and the motorcyclist fatality rate in 2023 was nearly 28 times higher than the passenger-car occupant fatality rate.

That broader danger is part of the local picture in Melville, where Round Swamp Road carries steady traffic through a corridor many Suffolk drivers know well. In this case, the fatal sequence was quick: a pass, a bumper strike, a thrown rider, and fire. For Khan’s family and for drivers who use the road every day, the crash is a grim reminder that speed, visibility and split-second decisions can be decisive on familiar suburban streets.