Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
A 10-year-old boy was thrown from an e-bike and seriously injured after being struck by a Porsche SUV at the intersection of Patchogue-Holbrook Road and Richard Place in Lake Ronkonkoma on Thursday night, May 21, 2026, according to Patch.
The boy, identified as Mason Mereroa, age 10, of Holbrook, was operating a 2025 e-bike northbound in the southbound shoulder of the service lane along Patchogue-Holbrook Road when the collision occurred at approximately 8:30 p.m., Suffolk County police said. A 27-year-old Ronkonkoma man was driving a 2020 Porsche Macan southbound on Patchogue-Holbrook Road and executing a right turn onto Richard Place at the time of the crash. As the Porsche completed that right turn, it struck Mason, sending him flying from the e-bike.
The fact that Mason was traveling northbound in the southbound shoulder of the service lane is a critical detail in understanding the mechanics of this crash, as Patch reported. A driver making a right turn from a southbound road would typically check for traffic approaching from their left — that is, from the north — but the presence of a northbound rider in the southbound shoulder created a situation that may not have been immediately apparent to the turning driver. Investigators will likely scrutinize the visibility conditions, lighting, and the exact path of travel of both the Porsche and the e-bike as the inquiry proceeds.
Mason was transported by emergency responders to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of serious injuries, police said. His current condition beyond “serious” was not disclosed in initial reports. The 27-year-old driver of the Porsche Macan was uninjured in the crash. Both the 2020 Porsche Macan SUV and the 2025 e-bike were impounded following the collision for safety checks, a standard procedure in crashes of this severity, according to Patch.
No names have been released for the adult driver, and no charges had been announced as of the initial report Friday morning. Suffolk County Police Fourth Squad detectives have assumed responsibility for the investigation. Police are actively seeking any witnesses or individuals with information about the crash, and anyone with relevant knowledge is urged to contact Fourth Squad detectives directly at 631-854-8452.
Location & Road Context
The crash took place at the intersection of Patchogue-Holbrook Road and Richard Place in Lake Ronkonkoma, a densely populated hamlet in the Town of Islip in central Suffolk County. Patchogue-Holbrook Road is a major north-south arterial corridor that serves as one of the primary surface roads connecting Holbrook, Lake Ronkonkoma, and surrounding communities. The road carries significant local traffic and features a service lane — a parallel access road that runs alongside the main travel lanes — which is where Thursday night’s crash unfolded. Service lanes of this type are common along heavily trafficked Long Island arterials and are frequently used by cyclists, pedestrians, and e-bike riders, though they can present visibility challenges at intersections where turning drivers may not anticipate oncoming users traveling against the primary traffic flow.
Richard Place is a residential side street that feeds directly off Patchogue-Holbrook Road, making it a typical right-turn point for drivers navigating the neighborhood. The intersection sits in a part of Lake Ronkonkoma that blends residential streets with commercial corridor traffic, and the evening hour of the crash — approximately 8:30 p.m. in late May — would place it near or just after sunset, potentially affecting visibility for both the driver and the young rider.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Suffolk County Police Fourth Squad detectives are leading the investigation into Thursday night’s crash, according to Patch. No charges had been filed against the 27-year-old Ronkonkoma man as of Friday morning, May 22, 2026. Both vehicles involved — the 2020 Porsche Macan and the 2025 e-bike — were impounded for safety checks as part of standard investigative protocol in serious injury accidents involving motor vehicles.
Anyone who witnessed the crash or has information that could assist detectives is asked to call the Fourth Squad at 631-854-8452. The investigation is ongoing, and additional details — including potential charges and an updated condition on Mason Mereroa — may be released as the inquiry advances.
Broader Impact
Thursday night’s crash renews attention to a growing safety concern on Long Island: the proliferation of e-bikes ridden by children in traffic lanes and road shoulders, often in ways that may not conform to New York State traffic law. Under New York law, e-bikes are classified in tiers based on their motor and speed capabilities, and riders under 16 are prohibited from operating Class 3 e-bikes. More broadly, children on e-bikes sharing roadway shoulders with motor vehicle traffic — particularly traveling against the flow of that traffic — represent a documented and escalating hazard across Long Island communities. This crash, involving a 10-year-old riding a 2025 e-bike northbound in a southbound shoulder at 8:30 p.m., encapsulates exactly those conditions that traffic safety advocates have repeatedly flagged as dangerous.