Riverhead man killed, 2 critical after Southampton crash, police say

A Riverhead man died and his two passengers were hospitalized in critical condition after a two-car crash early Sunday, the police said.

Juan Camilo Alape-Penuela, 23, was pronounced dead at the scene after the crash about 2:39 a.m. at Flanders and Birch Creek roads, Det. Sgt. Tim Wilson of the Southampton Town Police Department told Newsday on Sunday.

Alape-Penuela was driving a 2025 Honda four-door sedan when it collided with a 2025 Chevrolet Malibu,  Wilson said. The crash occured in Flanders.

One passenger in the Honda was ejected and first responders found the other trapped inside the vehicle, Wilson said. The passenger ejected, a female, was transported to Peconic Bay Medical Center in critical condition, according to Wilson.

Flanders Fire Department firefighters extricated the trapped passenger, also female, from the Honda before she was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital in critical condition, he said.

The driver of the Malibu was treated for a head injury at Peconic Bay Medical Center. 

Alape-Penuela and his two passengers graduated from Hampton Bays High School in 2022,  Wilson said. Police did not release the names of the passengers or that of the Malibu driver.

Both vehicles sustained "catastrophic damage," he said, adding that the crash investigation Sunday was ongoing.

By Joshua Needelman

joshua.needelman@newsday.com

Joshua Needelman covers the Town of North Hempstead for Newsday. A Long Island native and University of Maryland graduate, his work has appeared in publications including The New York Times and The Washington Post.