Parents Visit Crash Site Where 5 Died: 'Angels, Rest In Peace'

QUOGUE, NY — Sunday morning dawned bright and, if life had gone to plan, Ryan Kiess, 25 would have been playing golf; his tee time was set last week — hours before he and four others where killed in a head-on crash in Quogue.

Instead, on Sunday, Ryan's parents Kurt and Nina Kiess, for the first time, visited the spot on Montauk Highway where the crash took the life of their only son.

Bright bouquet of sunflowers, an angel, and stones with their names were left at the site where the five died and where the crash's sole survivor, Brianna Maglio, 24, of Garden City — Ryan's girlfriend of six years —was left in critical condition.

The colors of orange and blue also marked the spot; the colors are the color of Manhasset High School, where Ryan and brothers Michael Farrell, 20, and James Farrell, 25 left a long legacy of accomplishments on the athletic fields and in their acts kindness to others.

Also at the side of the roadway were red-and-blue balloons. The balloons, Nina Kiess said, were originally ordered for a July 4 party that was rescheduled due to weather. She called Party City in New Hyde Park, where staffers refilled them with helium and Ryan brought them to the house for the party, held to celebrate the Kiess' family's new 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," Kurt Kiess 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."

Looking at the balloons in the Sunday sunshine, Nina said, "Who knew we'd be leaving them at a crash site?"

Reflecting on that night, Nina said the "what ifs" swirl in her mind. Seeing the spot for the first time, she said, was "just surreal." She is thankful that her son was home with their family during the past year during the pandemic, for those precious moments. Her son, she said, loved to eat the German food of his family's roots — and that, as well as key lime pie and all his favorites, will be served after his funeral services, she said.

Pieces of wreckage still remain on the ground a week after the violent crash.

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 the Farrells and Kiess died at the scene, police said. Maglio 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.

Looking at the flowers and messages, Kurt was filled with emotion. "Heroes lie here," he said. "These four heroes here — these four angels — saved Brianna. We believe that."

Kurt and Nina added: "This should never have happened — and it should never happen again."

Kurt has been advocating for road safety improvements, including a center divider, at the spot.

"Angels, rest in peace," Nina said.

Ryan Kiess is survived by his parents, his sisters Nicole and Kim, his grandparents Klaus and Nancy, Anna Calace-Mottola and his fiance Brianna Maglio, his obituary, by Fairchild Sons, Inc. Funeral Chapel, reads. "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.

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. I coached all these kids in 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 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."

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."

As they walked to their car, past the flowers and messages, Kiess said quietly, "Pray for Bri."