Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
An 81-year-old East Patchogue man died Friday morning after his vehicle crashed into a tree on the Sunrise Highway service road, according to Suffolk County police.
Raymond Gotta was driving a 2018 Hyundai Elantra eastbound on the Sunrise Service Road near Hospital Road in East Patchogue at approximately 9 a.m. when his vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree, police said. The single-car crash occurred on September 26, 2025.
Following the collision, Gotta was transported to NYU Langone Hospital – Suffolk County, where he was pronounced dead, according to police. The East Patchogue resident was the sole occupant of the vehicle.
Police have not released information about what caused Gotta’s vehicle to leave the roadway or whether speed or other factors contributed to the fatal crash. The circumstances leading to the vehicle departing the service road remain under investigation.
Detectives from the Fifth Squad are actively investigating the incident and are seeking information from the public. Anyone with details about the crash is asked to call the Fifth Squad at 631-854-8552, police said.
Location & Road Context
The fatal crash occurred on the eastbound Sunrise Highway service road near Hospital Road in East Patchogue, a busy commercial corridor in central Suffolk County. The service road runs parallel to Route 27, one of Long Island’s main east-west arteries, and sees heavy local traffic accessing businesses and medical facilities in the area.
The proximity to Hospital Road, which provides access to several medical facilities, makes this stretch of the service road frequently traveled by both commuters and patients seeking medical care.