Services For 2 Killed In LI Crash; Wife Of Uber Driver Needs Help

QUOGUE, NY — Days after a head-on crash in Quogue left five men dead and a woman in critical condition, services have been set for two brothers who died together — and a mother left widowed with three young children desperately needing help.

Justin B. Mendez, 22, of Brookhaven, who was driving a red Nissan Maxima and crashed head-on into a gray Toyota Prius, died at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital a short time later, police said. The driver of the Prius, Farhan Zahid, 32, of Bay Shore, was an Uber driver, and three passengers, Michael O. Farrell, 20, James P. Farrell, 25, and Ryan J. Kiess, 25, all from Manhassett, died at the scene, police said. A fourth passenger, Brianna M. Maglio, 22, of Garden City, remains hospitalized at Peconic Bay Medical Center in critical condition, police said.

According to Kurt Kiess, Ryan's father, Maglio is "showing signs of improvement. There are millions of people praying for her, and it's working."

Services have been set for brothers James and Michael Farrell. According to the Fairchild Sons, Inc. Funeral Chapel: "James Patrick Farrell, Jr. and Michael O’Brien Farrell have fallen asleep in the Lord. They are survived by their beloved family, Jim and Elene Farrell and Stephen, their brother, and their loving grandmother, Katina Athineos."

A viewing will be held on Thursday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church, located on 100 Fairway Drive in Port Washington. A funeral service will be held on Friday at 11 a.m. at the Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church, with interment to follow at Nassau Knolls Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, Jim and Elene Farrell will be establishing scholarships in memory of James and Michael. Those wishing to donate can make checks out to "The Archangel Michael Church". In the memo, write "Farrell Scholarship Fund."

According to Kiess, no services have yet been set for his son Ryan. "At this time, we are concentrating on Bri's health and well-being." Ryan and Brianna dated for six years, Kiess said.

Services were held Wednesday for Farhan Zahid in Bay Shore, according to Newsday.

The Uber driver leaves behind a wife, Hifsa Ahmad, and three small children. She set up a GoFundMe page, "Help Farhan Zahid (Uber Driver) Family," that said, of her husband's death: "I’m at a tremendous loss on how to explain it to my children that their beloved father is no longer with us. The children have been asking since Sunday morning when their father is coming. 'Why is he still at work? Why isn't he coming?' They don’t really understand what’s going on since they’re so young. Now I’m left alone raising my three children, my son Ayaan, 6 years old, my daughter Mishal, 3 years old and my youngest son Ahaan, 16 months old; he was the closest to his father. My husband was our only source of income for our family."

She added: "Please help us during this challenging time. Our goal is to raise money for the funeral expenses as well as cost of living. Your help would be greatly appreciated."

To donate, click here.

Quogue Village Police on Tuesday unveiled further information regarding a crash Saturday night that left five men dead and one woman in critical condition.

Justin B. Mendez, 22, of Brookhaven, who was driving a red Nissan Maxima and crashed head-on into a gray Toyota Prius near the intersection of Montauk Highway and Quogue Street (east) was found to have a "quantity of marijuana" in the passenger side compartment of the vehicle, was seen speeding an estimated 55 miles per hour in a 30 mile per hour zone — and, according to witness accounts, may have turned off his headlights when police began to follow him, although that has not yet been confirmed, police said.

Mendez died at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital a short time later, police said.

Farhan Zahid, 32, of Bay Shore, was an Uber driver, and three passengers in the Prius, Michael O. Farrell, 20, James P. Farrell, 25, and Ryan J. Kiess, 25, all from Manhassett, died at the scene, police said. A fourth passenger, Brianna M. Maglio, 22, of Garden City, remains hospitalized in critical condition, police said.

Investigators believe excessive speed may have been a factor in the crash, police said.

Answering questions outside the station Tuesday, Quogue Village Police Chief Christopher Isola said that Mendez was traveling west on County Road 80 at a "high rate of speed" when he was observed by a Quogue village police officer who was heading east in the other direction. The officer turned around and headed west on Country Road 80 but "was unable to catch up with vehicle before it collided with the 2010 Toyota Prius operated by Zahid," Isola said.

Maglio, the only survivor of the crash, was first transported to Peconic Bay Medical Center and then transferred to South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore, where she remains in critical condition. Police have not spoken to her but have been in communication with her family, Isola said, adding that her health was the first priority.

The crash is still under investigation by Quogue Village Police and New York State Police, as well as the National Transportation Safety Board and Attorney General's Office; both agencies are taking part due to the number of deaths and also take part in an investigation when any incident involving police ends in death, Isola said.

Isola said he believes an autopsy and toxicology report have been performed on Mendez but the. results are in the jurisdiction of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner's Office and have not been released, he said.

No criminal charges have been filed, Isola said. "We don't have a defendant," he added. "We will exhaust all avenues to determine how this accident occurred."

It is also not clear if Mendez was texting but that is one element of the investigation, Isola said.
The suspected marijuana found in Mendez' vehicle, in pre-tests, has tested positive for cannabis, Isola said.

Describing the chain of events, Isola said the officer was heading east on County Road 80 when he spotted Mendez about 1,000 feet into the Village of Quogue; Mendez was coming from the direction of the Village of East Quogue, heading west and leaving a 30 mph zone to a 40 mph zone, and was also at the point of a "sharp turn" in the roadway.

Evidence suggests that the officer had a "very brief view" of Mendez' vehicle but "the officer very quickly loses sight and never catches up," he said. Accident reconstruction will ultimately determine the speed at which Mendez was driving but radar and visual estimation indicate he may have been driving 55 mph when coming from the 30 mph zone, Isola said.

"The officer observed him driving at a high rate of speed, along with some witnesses," Isola said. "There may be some evidence that he turned his headlights off."

A witness report indicates that Mendez turned off his lights when he saw the officer following him but that has not been confirmed, Isola said. The officer did not "chase" Mendez but followed him and turned on flashing lights because Mendez "was so far ahead," Isola said.

When asked about whether that stretch of road is dangerous, or a "death trap," as some have suggested on social media, Isola said Montauk Highway has several sharp bends. "It's a rural road, not that well-lit. There are markings and warning signs and speed limits, in some areas, drop to 30 miles per hour. Many of our corners cannot be safely navigated without dropping your speed, which is indicated by signage. Any turn you make, you have to pay attention into the safe navigation of the turn," Isola said.

The site of the crash "is not a hotspot," Isola said. While there was a crash resulting in a double fatality in 1997 at the other end of the same intersection, Isola said there have been crashes at many spots. "I would say this one is not a problem area," he said.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone has ordered a traffic study on the county road, Isola said. In addition, there is signage that can be moved around the village; on Monday, a new sign was posted to caution motorists to slow down at the site, he said.

"This was a tragic incident, " Isola said. "Our hearts go out to all those who lost loved ones and to the first responders and all those who responded to this tragedy."

Heartbroken families left behind after five died in a head-on crash in Quogue Saturday are left praying for the one young woman who survived, searching for answers —and crying out for safety improvements on the road where their loved ones lost their lives.

Kiess, who lost his son Ryan, 25, in the crash, said the issue of road safety is critical: "The whole town knows about this curve and has done nothing about it."

Kiess suggested maybe a concrete Jersey barrier — used to separate lines of traffic — could help.
"The notion that these are sleepy country towns is gone. That's not what this is," Kiess said, adding that the influx of traffic on roads must be addressed.

He'd heard that the last time a crash took place at the site was years ago, Kiess said. "That's not something to be proud of," he said. "That's ridiculous. It's a curvy road. It shouldn't be that dangerous. The amount of traffic on Montauk Highway has increased over the years." Officials, he said, "need to be more responsible" and address the situation. "It can't help my son but maybe it can help someone else."

Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman said it was "possible" the town might advocate the state and county for changes, depending on information that arises in regard to the cause of the crash.

On Tuesday, Quogue Village Police told Patch: "The only contributing factor we have at this time is speed."

On Monday night, about 100 grieving friends and family gathered at his home to mourn his son and the Farrell brothers who died, Kiess said. "They're devastated. These are young adults who shouldn't have to go through this. They've lost their friend; it's terrible."

The young people called an Uber to be safe, Kiess said. "They were doing the right thing."

His son and his friends, Kiess said, "were all good kids." His son was an accountant at KPMG and had just been promoted. "They were all at the start of their careers, it was unlimited — they had their whole lives in front of them."

Through tears, Kiess said: "Our hearts are broken forever. Our lives will never be the same. We love our son — and we always will."

A GoFundMe page, "GoFundMe for Our Beloved Justin Mendez," has also been created for the driver of the Nissan by Amanda Tuason. "With the sudden loss of our beloved nephew Justin, son of Aida and Octavio Perez, we are fundraising to help cover the costs of the funeral expenses and services to help the family," she wrote.