Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
Matthew Sheehy, 48, of East Setauket, pleaded guilty on May 20, 2026, to Aggravated Vehicular Assault and related charges for causing a catastrophic three-vehicle chain-reaction crash on the Long Island Expressway that left four people injured — including one woman who permanently lost sight in one eye. According to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Sheehy was speeding, weaving in and out of lanes, intoxicated by alcohol, and impaired by drugs when he triggered the crash in the early morning hours of November 15, 2024.
The crash unfolded at approximately 12:21 a.m. on the eastbound Long Island Expressway between Exits 62 and 63. Prosecutors say Sheehy was behind the wheel of a 2022 Ram pick-up truck, traveling at a high rate of speed and aggressively changing lanes, when he veered onto the right shoulder and plowed into a disabled 2010 Chrysler Town & Country minivan that was stopped there with one occupant inside. The force of the impact propelled the Chrysler off the shoulder and into the expressway’s left travel lane, directly into the path of oncoming traffic. A 2018 Honda CR-V carrying three occupants then struck the Chrysler in a secondary collision, compounding the violence of the crash.
The consequences for those in the Honda CR-V were severe. One passenger suffered a skull fracture, a brain bleed, and — as a result of her injuries — the permanent loss of eyesight in one eye. The remaining occupants of both the Chrysler and the CR-V also sustained injuries requiring medical treatment, bringing the total number of people hurt to four. Sheehy himself was transported to a hospital following the crash, where he was arrested after medical personnel and law enforcement determined he was intoxicated by alcohol and impaired by drugs, per the DA’s press release.
District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney issued a pointed statement in the wake of the guilty plea. “A woman lost sight in one of her eyes and could easily have died because this defendant selfishly chose to drive like a maniac on the Long Island Expressway that night,” Tierney said. “This guilty plea is an important step toward justice for this woman and the three others who were injured.” The DA’s remarks underscore the life-altering and irreversible harm inflicted on the crash victims, particularly the CR-V passenger who now faces permanent blindness in one eye.
Sheehy entered his guilty plea before Acting Supreme Court Justice Philip Goglas. The charges to which he pleaded guilty include one count of Aggravated Vehicular Assault, a Class C felony; one count of Driving While Intoxicated, a Class E felony; and three counts of Assault in the Third Degree, Class A misdemeanors. He is being represented by attorney Michael Brown, Esq. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Jeffrey Rosenheck and Raymond Varuolo of the Vehicular Crime Bureau, and the investigation was conducted by Detective Joseph Bianco of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Major Case Unit, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
Location & Road Context
The crash occurred on the eastbound Long Island Expressway (I-495) between Exits 62 and 63 — a stretch of highway in Suffolk County that sees heavy commercial and residential traffic at all hours. The LIE is one of the most heavily traveled corridors on Long Island, and the section between those exits connects the greater Stony Brook and Centereach areas. Our local incident database currently contains 299 recorded accidents in Suffolk County, a figure that reflects the region’s ongoing vulnerability to serious crashes, particularly those involving impaired drivers on high-speed roadways. The fact that Sheehy struck a disabled vehicle on the shoulder — a location where motorists are at their most vulnerable — made the chain-reaction consequences of his recklessness especially devastating.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
The investigation into the November 15, 2024 crash was handled by Detective Joseph Bianco of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Major Case Unit, reflecting the seriousness with which authorities treated the collision from the outset. Sheehy’s guilty plea, entered May 20, 2026 before Acting Supreme Court Justice Philip Goglas, resolved charges spanning a Class C felony through Class A misdemeanors. He is due back in court on June 30, 2026, and is expected to be sentenced to a term of 3 to 9 years in state prison, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. The Aggravated Vehicular Assault charge — the most serious count — is a Class C felony under New York law, and the expected sentence of up to 9 years reflects the gravity of a crash that left one victim with permanent, irreversible physical harm.
Broader Impact
Under New York law, a conviction for Aggravated Vehicular Assault as a Class C felony carries a maximum sentence of up to 15 years in state prison, making Sheehy’s anticipated 3-to-9-year term well within the statutory range — and a sobering reminder of how seriously New York treats cases where impaired, high-speed driving causes catastrophic, permanent injury to innocent motorists and passengers. This case also highlights the particular danger posed to occupants of disabled vehicles stopped on highway shoulders, a scenario that has repeatedly proven fatal on Long Island’s high-speed expressways. Drivers who encounter a disabled vehicle on the shoulder of the LIE or any Long Island highway are urged to move over and slow down — a legal requirement under New York’s Move Over Law.