Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
A 56-year-old Deer Park man is dead and three others — including a Suffolk County police officer — were injured in two separate but connected crashes that unfolded within minutes of each other in the early hours of Monday, July 14, 2025, according to the New York Post.
Anthony Guglielmo, 56, of Deer Park, was behind the wheel of a Mini Cooper when it collided with a Jeep traveling westbound on Grand Boulevard in Deer Park at approximately 3:45 a.m. The collision resulted in a rollover crash. Guglielmo was transported by emergency responders to Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip, where he was pronounced dead, Suffolk County police said.
The driver of the Jeep was identified as Stefanie Russo, 37. She was transported to Good Samaritan University Hospital — the same facility where Guglielmo was taken — and was treated for injuries described by police as non-life-threatening. No additional passengers were reported in either vehicle involved in the first crash.
Just six minutes after the fatal collision was reported, a second crash compounded an already chaotic scene. At approximately 3:51 a.m., a Suffolk County police officer responding to the Grand Boulevard fatality in a marked patrol car — with sirens actively flashing — was struck by a Ford van at the intersection of Deer Park Avenue and Lake Avenue. The responding officer and the driver of the Ford van were both injured in the impact. Both were transported to Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip, and police confirmed that their injuries were non-life-threatening.
In total, four people were affected across the two crashes: one fatality and three injuries, the latter group including a police officer. All three surviving victims — Russo, the officer, and the van driver — were treated at the same hospital. The second crash adds a sobering dimension to an already tragic early morning: a law enforcement professional rushing to aid those hurt in the first crash was himself struck before reaching the scene.
No charges had been announced in connection with either crash as of initial reporting. Suffolk County police did not release the name of the officer involved in the second crash, nor did they identify the driver of the Ford van. According to the New York Post, the cause of both crashes remains under active investigation by Suffolk County police.
Location & Road Context
The fatal crash occurred on Grand Boulevard in Deer Park, a residential and commercially mixed community in the Town of Babylon in western Suffolk County. Grand Boulevard is a local surface road that sees regular overnight traffic, particularly given its proximity to major arteries like the Long Island Expressway and the Southern State Parkway. The second crash unfolded at the intersection of Deer Park Avenue and Lake Avenue — a distinct location from the first crash, just minutes away — suggesting the police vehicle was en route and had not yet arrived at the original scene when it was struck.
Deer Park is a community that appears frequently in Suffolk County’s traffic incident record. Long Island Traffic’s local incident database contains 319 recorded accidents in Suffolk County, a figure that underscores the ongoing density of traffic incidents across the county’s road network. Roads in this part of western Suffolk, including those connecting Deer Park to neighboring Babylon and Wyandanch, carry significant overnight volume from commercial drivers and late-night commuters.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Both crashes remain under active investigation by the Suffolk County Police Department, according to initial reports. No cause has been officially determined for either incident, and no arrests or charges had been announced at the time of publication. Investigators have not publicly disclosed contributing factors such as speed, impairment, or traffic signal violations in connection with either collision. The circumstances surrounding why the Jeep and Mini Cooper collided on Grand Boulevard — including the direction of travel of Guglielmo’s vehicle and whether either driver ran a signal or stop sign — have not yet been released by police.
The striking of the marked police vehicle at Deer Park Avenue and Lake Avenue will likely be subject to a separate review. Suffolk County police protocol in crashes involving on-duty officers typically includes an internal component alongside any criminal or civil investigation. The public should expect updated findings as the investigations progress.
Broader Impact
The second crash — in which a Ford van struck a marked police cruiser with lights and sirens active — highlights a persistent and well-documented danger facing first responders on Long Island roads. Under New York State’s “Move Over” law, motorists are required to slow down and change lanes when approaching stopped or moving emergency vehicles displaying lights. The 3:51 a.m. timeline suggests low-visibility, low-traffic conditions that can create a false sense of openness on local roads, even as emergency vehicles approach intersections at speed. Suffolk County has seen prior incidents involving responding units being struck, and this crash at Deer Park follows that troubling pattern. Drivers are reminded that active emergency lights and sirens — even on a moving vehicle — require immediate yielding under state law.