A driver who was allegedly high on drugs crashed into another vehicle, killing the 45-year-old man driving the second car in the victim’s hometown of Shirley on Tuesday, Suffolk County police said.
Kendell Owens, 31, of Middle Island, was driving an Infiniti G35 eastbound on Montauk Highway when his vehicle struck a Chrysler Sebring driven by Richard Garcia, who was heading northbound on William Floyd Parkway at 9:51 p.m., police said.
Garcia was taken to Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center in East Patchogue, where he was pronounced dead.
The driver of a third car that crashed into Garcia’s suffered minor injuries. A fourth car carrying five people—including an infant and a 2-year-old girl—were also treated for minor injuries after their car was hit by the first two.
Owens, who was also treated for minor injuries, was arrested and charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs and leaving the scene of an incident without reporting involving a fatality.
He will be arraigned Wednesday at First District Court in Central Islip.
Vehicular Crime Unit detectives are continuing the investigation and ask anyone with any information about this crash to call them at 631-852-6555.
