Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
A 35-year-old Westbury man is facing felony assault and drunk driving charges after a violent rear-end collision on the Meadowbrook State Parkway sent a passenger flying from the vehicle he struck, state police said. The crash unfolded at approximately 2:48 a.m. on Sunday, May 24, 2026, on the northbound side of the parkway near exit M5 in Hempstead — a collision that left one person seriously hurt and turned what should have been an otherwise quiet pre-dawn morning into a chaotic scene requiring multiple emergency responses.
According to Greater Long Island, Deondre Clark was recklessly operating a 2025 Toyota Camry in the northbound lanes when he rear-ended a 2015 Honda Pilot. The force of the impact was severe enough to eject one of the Honda Pilot’s passengers from the vehicle entirely — one of the more serious outcomes possible in a rear-end crash, and a clear indicator of the speed and violence of the collision. Investigators specifically noted that Clark had been traveling at an unsafe speed at the time, compounding the dangers posed by his alleged impairment.
The ejected passenger was rushed to a local hospital with serious injuries, per Greater Long Island’s report. The nature of those injuries was not further specified in the initial police report, but the ejection itself — and the subsequent emergency transport — left little ambiguity about the severity. Three other people who were inside the Honda Pilot at the time of the crash fared better: the driver and two passengers were all treated for minor, non-life-threatening injuries. In total, the Honda Pilot was carrying four occupants when Clark’s Camry slammed into it from behind.
Clark was taken into custody at the scene by New York State Police troopers. He faces a serious battery of charges: first-degree assault, second-degree assault, driving while intoxicated (DWI), and reckless driving. The first-degree assault charge — a felony under New York State law — reflects the severity of the injuries caused to the ejected passenger. Police noted that beyond the impairment, Clark’s unsafe speed was a contributing factor in the crash, a detail that investigators flagged specifically in their account of the incident.
As Greater Long Island reported, the crash remains under active investigation by the New York State Police. Witnesses who were in the area of the Meadowbrook Parkway northbound near exit M5 around 2:48 a.m. Sunday morning are urged to come forward and contact New York State Police Troop L at 631-766-3300. Police have not released additional details about Clark’s blood alcohol level or whether any other factors — such as weather or road surface conditions — contributed to the collision.
The incident drew earlier coverage as well, initially reported as a crash involving an ejection that prompted the shutdown of the northbound lanes of the Meadowbrook Parkway. The subsequent investigation confirmed the drunk driving and assault elements of the case, leading to the formal charges now facing Clark.
Location & Road Context
The Meadowbrook State Parkway is one of Long Island’s primary north-south arteries, running from Hempstead south through Nassau County toward Jones Beach State Park. The stretch near exit M5 sits within the Town of Hempstead and carries significant traffic volume, particularly on weekend mornings when bar and event traffic is at its peak. The parkway’s relatively open lanes and higher posted speeds can become especially hazardous when impaired or reckless drivers are present — conditions that proved catastrophic here.
At 2:48 a.m. on a Sunday, the roadway would typically have reduced traffic volume compared to daytime hours, but the lower visibility and fatigue-related factors associated with overnight driving remain serious concerns. The northbound lanes in the area were shut down following the crash, according to earlier coverage of the initial incident, as emergency personnel worked the scene and investigators began their assessment.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Deondre Clark, 35, of Westbury, was arrested at the scene and charged with four counts: first-degree assault (a Class B felony in New York), second-degree assault, driving while intoxicated (DWI), and reckless driving. The felony assault charge signals that prosecutors and investigators believe the serious injury suffered by the ejected passenger — caused directly by Clark’s alleged drunk and reckless driving — meets the threshold for the state’s most serious assault classification.
As of the initial reporting by Greater Long Island, no arraignment date or bail information had been released publicly. The case remains under active investigation by the New York State Police. Troop L, the state police unit responsible for this region of Long Island, is the lead investigative body and is actively soliciting witness information at 631-766-3300. Anyone who observed the Toyota Camry or the moments leading up to the rear-end collision near exit M5 is encouraged to reach out.
Broader Impact
This crash is a grim echo of a recent and devastating pattern on Nassau County’s state parkways. Just last month, an Oceanside mother was indicted in a DWI crash that killed a Westbury couple on the Southern State Parkway — a case that underscores the potentially fatal consequences of drunk driving on Long Island’s high-speed corridors. In New York, a first-degree assault conviction tied to DWI can carry a prison sentence of up to 25 years, reflecting the state’s treatment of serious injury caused by impaired driving as among its gravest criminal offenses.