Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
Timothy Neff, 35, of Mt. Sinai, was charged with driving while intoxicated after his 2018 Ford Fusion crashed into a tree, seriously injuring his passenger early Saturday morning in Brookhaven Town, according to Suffolk police. The crash occurred around 3 a.m. when Neff was driving eastbound on Chelsea Drive at a high rate of speed, drove onto the curb and struck a tree, causing the vehicle to overturn in front of a home, police said.
Officers from the 6th Precinct in Selden and Emergency Service Section officers responded to extricate both Neff and his passenger, a 38-year-old woman from Mt. Sinai, according to police. The woman was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of serious physical injuries, while Neff was also taken to the same hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. Neff will be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on a later date, and the vehicle was impounded for a safety check, according to police.
In a separate crash that same Saturday afternoon, a 57-year-old man from Lake Grove was seriously injured when his 2002 Harley-Davidson motorcycle crossed into oncoming traffic and struck a Honda Civic in Lake Ronkonkoma, police said. The motorcyclist was traveling southbound on Smithtown Avenue when he lost control of his bike and it crossed over the double yellow line, striking a 2013 Honda Civic that was traveling northbound near Marconi Drive at 4:15 p.m., according to police.
The motorcyclist was ejected from his Harley-Davidson and taken by ambulance to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of serious physical injuries, police said. The driver of the Honda, a 45-year-old from Centereach, was also transported to the hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, according to police. Both vehicles involved in the Lake Ronkonkoma crash were impounded for safety checks, police said.
The two separate incidents resulted in three people being hospitalized at Stony Brook University Hospital, with two suffering serious injuries – the passenger in the Mt. Sinai crash and the motorcyclist in the Lake Ronkonkoma collision, according to police reports. The crashes occurred approximately 13 hours apart, with the first happening in the early morning hours and the second in the late afternoon on the same Saturday.
All three victims required emergency medical treatment, though the severity varied between the incidents. The Mt. Sinai woman and the Lake Grove motorcyclist both sustained serious physical injuries requiring immediate hospital care, while Neff and the Centereach Honda driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
Location & Road Context
The first crash occurred on Chelsea Drive in Mt. Sinai, a residential street in the northern part of Brookhaven Town. Chelsea Drive runs through a neighborhood setting where the Ford Fusion ultimately overturned in front of a home after striking the tree. The 6th Precinct in Selden covers this area and responded with Emergency Service Section officers due to the need for vehicle extrication.
The second crash happened on Smithtown Avenue near Marconi Drive in Lake Ronkonkoma, a major north-south thoroughfare that serves as a key connector road in central Suffolk County. Smithtown Avenue carries significant traffic volume throughout the day and features a double yellow line separation between opposing traffic lanes where the motorcycle crossed over into the northbound lane.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Suffolk police detectives are actively investigating both crashes and seeking additional information from the public. Anyone with information regarding the Mt. Sinai crash on Chelsea Drive is asked to contact detectives at 631-854-8652, while those with information about the Lake Ronkonkoma motorcycle crash should call detectives at 631-854-8552, according to police.
Timothy Neff faces DWI charges and will appear for arraignment at First District Court in Central Islip, though police have not yet announced a specific court date. The DWI charge stems from the early morning crash that seriously injured his female passenger when his Ford Fusion struck the tree after driving onto the curb at high speed.
Broader Impact
The motorcycle crash highlights the particular vulnerability of riders on busy corridors like Smithtown Avenue, where loss of control can quickly lead to head-on collisions with oncoming traffic. The ejection of the motorcyclist underscores the severe consequences when riders cross into opposing lanes on roads with steady traffic flow during afternoon hours.