St. James Man Charged With Fatal DWI Crash

By Timothy Bolger Posted on October 13, 2015

Timothy Burke

A Saint James man was arrested for allegedly driving drunk and fatally hitting a 51-year-old pedestrian in the victim’s hometown of Smithtown over Columbus Day weekend, Suffolk County police said.

Timothy Burke, 43, was driving a Dodge Charger northbound on Route 111 when his vehicle struck Kenneth Rich, who was crossing the road at 8:30 p.m. Friday, police said.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Vehicular Crime Unit detectives impounded the car and are continuing the investigation.

Burke was charged with driving while intoxicated. His bail was set at $15,000 bond or $7,500 cash. He is due back in court Nov. 2.

About the Author

Timothy Bolger

Timothy Bolger is the Editor in Chief of the Long Island Press who’s been working to uncover unreported stories since shortly after it launched in 2003. When he’s not editing, getting hassled by The Man or fielding cold calls to the newsroom, he covers crime, general interest and political news in addition to reporting longer, sometimes investigative features. He won’t be happy until everyone is as pissed off as he is about how screwed up Lawn Guyland is.