Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
An 81-year-old East Patchogue man died Friday morning after his car left the Sunrise Highway service road and slammed into a tree, according to the Suffolk County Police Department as reported by Patch. The crash was reported at approximately 9 a.m. on Friday, September 26, 2025, and claimed the life of Raymond Gotta — a single-car fatality that unfolded in the span of a quiet weekday morning on one of Long Island’s busiest travel corridors.
According to Patch, Gotta was behind the wheel of a 2018 Hyundai Elantra, traveling eastbound along the Sunrise Highway service road in East Patchogue. As his vehicle approached the intersection near Hospital Road, it departed the roadway for reasons that remain under investigation. The car then struck a tree — a collision that inflicted injuries severe enough to prove fatal.
Emergency responders transported Gotta to NYU Langone Hospital – Suffolk County following the crash, per Patch’s reporting. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. Suffolk County police did not immediately release information about the cause of the crash or any contributing factors such as speed, medical emergency, or road conditions at the time of the collision. The investigation remained active as of the evening of September 26, 2025.
The crash involved only Gotta’s vehicle, with no other motorists, pedestrians, or cyclists reported as injured or involved in the incident. Suffolk County police classified this as a single-car crash. No charges had been filed as of the time of initial reporting, and no additional occupants were reported to have been in the Hyundai Elantra at the time of the collision.
Detectives from the Suffolk County Police Department’s Fifth Squad are leading the investigation. Anyone who may have witnessed the crash or has information pertinent to the circumstances leading up to it is urged to contact the Fifth Squad directly at 631-854-8552. Tips from the public could prove critical in helping investigators determine what caused the vehicle to leave the roadway.
Location & Road Context
The Sunrise Highway service road in East Patchogue is a parallel access road running alongside Sunrise Highway (NY Route 27), one of the main east-west arteries connecting western Suffolk County to the South Fork of Long Island. The area near Hospital Road is a mixed residential and commercial corridor that sees steady traffic volume throughout the morning commute hours. While service roads are generally lower-speed environments compared to the main highway lanes, they carry significant local traffic and are frequented by older residents accessing nearby medical facilities and shopping centers — making awareness of driver safety conditions particularly relevant in this stretch.
East Patchogue sits within the broader Suffolk County region, where our local incident database has recorded 319 accidents in recent history. The stretch of Sunrise Highway and its accompanying service roads has historically been the site of multiple serious crashes, underscoring the ongoing challenges of managing traffic safety along this heavily traveled south shore corridor.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
As of the evening of Friday, September 26, 2025, the Suffolk County Police Department’s Fifth Squad has an active investigation into the circumstances of the fatal single-car crash, according to Patch. No charges have been announced, and no additional parties have been identified as subjects of the investigation. The inquiry will likely focus on determining whether a medical event, road conditions, mechanical failure, or another factor caused Gotta’s Hyundai Elantra to leave the roadway. Detectives are asking members of the public who may have witnessed the crash or the moments leading up to it to call 631-854-8552.
Broader Impact
Single-vehicle crashes involving older drivers — particularly those resulting in a vehicle leaving the roadway — often prompt investigators to examine whether an acute medical episode, such as a cardiac event or loss of consciousness, may have played a role. While no such cause has been confirmed in this case, the pattern is well-documented in Suffolk County crash data and frequently shapes how detectives approach their inquiries into incidents of this type. Nearby residents and commuters using the Sunrise Highway service road near Hospital Road in East Patchogue may wish to monitor updates from the Suffolk County Police Department as the investigation progresses.