Services Set For 1 Of 5 Who Died In Quogue Head-On Crash

QUOGUE, NY — Services for a young man, 25, one of five killed in a head-on crash in Quogue last week, have been scheduled as a heartbroken family readies to lay him to rest.

"Ryan James Kiess passed away tragically on July 24," his obituary, by Fairchild Sons, Inc. Funeral Chapel, reads. "He is survived by his parents Nina and Kurt, his sisters Nicole and Kim, his grandparents Klaus & Nancy, Anna Calace-Mottola and his fiance Brianna Maglio. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations for the medical expenses of Brianna. There will be more information regarding this as soon as the details are completed."

Calling hours will take place on Thursday, August 5, from 3 p.m. until 8 p.m. at Fairchild Funeral Chapel, located at 1570 Northern Blvd. in Manhasset. A funeral service will be held on Friday, August 6, from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at the Church of Our Savior Lutheran, located at 1901 Northern Blvd. in Manhasset. Interment will follow from 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Nassau Knolls Cemetery, located at 500 Pt. Washington Blvd. in Port Washington.

Five men died in the crash on Montauk Highway on July, police said.

Justin B. Mendez, 22, of Brookhaven, who was driving a red Nissan Maxima and crashed head-on into a gray Toyota Prius on Montauk Highway and Quogue Street (East) 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 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. Authorities released details on the night of the crash this week, and said Mendez was speeding, had marijuana in his car, and according to witness accounts that have not yet been verified, may have turned off his headlights when police began to follow him.

The Farrell brothers were laid to rest Friday as hundreds of mourners, many young, turned out in Port Washington for the emotional and heartfelt service.

Kurt Kiess said his son Ryan had been friends with brothers James and Michael since elementary school in Manhasset.

"They lived 200 yards apart; they took the school bus together and were sports teammates, playing lacrosse," he said. His son played lacrosse in high school and college, he said.

"There was a big group of them, the Manhasset High School Class of 2014. The boys were very close, they were always together," he said.

The young men, he said, were all "very caring. They were the first to help you. They just loved music, they loved their friends." And, he said, they enjoyed playing golf together at the North Hempstead Country Club. "They were buddies," Kiess said. "They were the best of friends."

His son met Brianna at the University of Scranton; they both played lacrosse and had been dating for six years, Kiess said. "They were a fantastic couple," he said.

"We're praying for her," he said.

The night his son died began as a celebration, Kiess said. He and his wife just bought a home in Remsenburg.

"It was our first party. My son was so proud of that house. All of his friends were in the cottage, playing games and dancing," he said. "They helped clean up and then they called an Uber to go dancing. He walked into the living room and got into the car— and that was the last time I saw my son," Kiess said.

He added, "You see these things on the news and you say, 'That's somebody else' — and then it becomes your family."

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

Kiess said thought should be put into redesigning the roadway where the crash took place. 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."

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."

The wife of the Uber driver also held a funeral for her husband and sole provider this week; left with three small children, she has commenced fundraising efforts to help them.