Three-vehicle Route 25A crash in Shoreham seriously injures driver

A three-vehicle wreck near Defense Hill Road left Jianhua Zhou, 45, of Flushing, seriously hurt and airlifted from Route 25A in Shoreham as the morning commute was thrown into chaos.

Suffolk County police said the crash happened at 9:32 a.m. on May 9, 2026, when Zhou was driving a 2014 Toyota Sienna eastbound on Route 25A and struck the rear of a 2010 Ford Transit. The impact pushed the Transit off the roadway and into several trees. Police said the Toyota then continued eastbound and hit a westbound 2023 Ford.

The Ford Transit was driven by Lawrence Lederer, 36, of Miller Place, with Bryan Wilson, 37, of Rocky Point, riding as a passenger. Police said both men were uninjured. The driver of the 2023 Ford, Piotr Ratkiewicz, 57, of Port Jefferson, was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries. Zhou was flown to Stony Brook University Hospital with serious injuries. All three vehicles were impounded for a safety check.

The collision put a hard spotlight on a corridor that Suffolk and Brookhaven planners have long treated as a major North Shore artery. Town of Brookhaven planning documents describe Route 25A as a major east-west corridor, and the town’s visioning work for the Mount Sinai to Wading River stretch, which includes Shoreham, Rocky Point and Miller Place, has focused on congestion, safety and the need for better pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure. The route also traces part of the old Kings Highway path along Long Island’s North Shore, a reminder that one of the area’s most traveled roads is also one of its most scrutinized.

Traffic injuries remain a major public health concern in New York, and state health data says an average of three New Yorkers die every day in a traffic-related crash. On a road like Route 25A, where residential access, through traffic and turning movements mix every day, a single impact can turn quickly into a larger and more dangerous scene.

Suffolk County Police Seventh Squad detectives were investigating, and anyone with information was asked to call 631-852-8752.