Three dead in Suffolk County crashes, police investigate multiple collisions

Three people were killed on Suffolk County roads in less than 12 hours, turning Montauk Highway, Lakeland Avenue and Washington Avenue into the latest grim markers of a dangerous day on local streets. The crashes, in East Moriches, Bohemia and Brentwood, involved an SUV, a motorcycle and a pedestrian, and police are investigating what led each one.

The deadliest sequence began before sunrise in Brentwood, where police said Melody Quinones, 21, of Brentwood, was in the roadway on Washington Avenue at about 5:10 a.m. when she was struck by a 2010 Volkswagen traveling southbound and driven by Brandon Nunez Cumi. Quinones was taken to South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore, where she was pronounced dead. That crash put one of Suffolk’s busiest community corridors under a harsh spotlight before the morning commute even began.

About two and a half hours later, another fatal crash unfolded in Bohemia. Police said Nicole Melfi, 41, of Bohemia, was driving a 2024 Nissan Pathfinder at about 7:50 a.m. and attempting a left turn from westbound Peter Lane to southbound Lakeland Avenue when the vehicle collided with a 2004 Kawasaki motorcycle traveling northbound on Lakeland Avenue. The motorcyclist was killed. The crash added to a troubling pattern on a road many residents use daily to move between Bohemia, Ronkonkoma and neighboring communities.

By midafternoon, police were back on Montauk Highway in East Moriches, where Ralph Mims, 48, of Central Islip, was driving a 2003 GMC Yukon westbound near Bay Avenue at about 2:50 p.m. when he lost control and struck a guardrail. He was pronounced dead at the scene by a physician assistant from the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s office. Police said the vehicle was impounded for a safety check, and investigators asked anyone with information to contact the Suffolk County Police Seventh Squad at 631-852-8752.

Taken together, the three deaths point to how many forms of danger remain on Suffolk roads: early-morning pedestrian exposure, motorcycle vulnerability at a turning point, and a single-vehicle loss of control on a major highway. New York State traffic injury data track deaths and serious injuries separately for occupants, motorcyclists, pedestrians and pedal cyclists, underscoring how one bad day can cut across every category of road user.