Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
A 41-year-old East Massapequa man was seriously injured Friday evening when the e-bike he was riding collided with the side of a Honda Civic at a North Amityville intersection, according to the Suffolk County Police Department.
The crash unfolded at approximately 8:20 p.m. at the intersection of County Line Road and West Oak Street. According to Suffolk County Police, James Lee Kelly was driving a 2007 Honda Civic northbound on County Line Road when he entered the intersection under a green light. At that moment, an e-bike traveling eastbound on West Oak Street struck the driver’s side of Kelly’s vehicle.
The e-bike operator, Matthew Axmacher, 41, of East Massapequa, sustained serious injuries in the collision, per the Suffolk County Police Department press release. The nature and extent of those injuries — including whether Axmacher was transported by ambulance or medevac — details remain limited, as the official release did not specify. The injury status of James Lee Kelly, the Honda Civic driver, has also not been confirmed in available official records.
The sequence of events described by police — Kelly proceeding through a green light at the intersection while Axmacher’s e-bike approached from West Oak Street — suggests Axmacher may have entered the intersection without a corresponding green signal. However, police have not yet confirmed a final determination of fault, and the investigation into the exact cause of the crash is active. No charges have been publicly announced as of this report.
Suffolk County Police First Squad detectives are leading the investigation. Weather and road surface conditions at the time of the approximately 8:20 p.m. crash were not included in the initial press release, and those details remain limited.
Location & Road Context
The crash took place at the intersection of County Line Road and West Oak Street in North Amityville, a hamlet in the Town of Babylon in western Suffolk County. County Line Road, as its name indicates, runs along or near the boundary between Nassau and Suffolk Counties and serves as a significant north-south corridor in this part of Long Island, carrying a mix of residential, commercial, and through traffic. Intersections along County Line Road in the North Amityville area involve multiple side-street crossings, with signal-controlled intersections managing the flow between the two counties’ road networks.
According to the Long Island Traffic incident database, this stretch of County Line Road has 1 recorded incident on file — the crash involving Axmacher and Kelly reported June 5, 2026. Suffolk County as a whole has accumulated 378 recorded accidents in our local database, underscoring the county’s consistently high volume of roadway incidents. North Amityville, a densely populated community, sees regular traffic on its major corridors, and evening hours — when visibility begins to drop and traffic patterns shift — are a well-documented risk window for intersection crashes across Suffolk County.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Suffolk County Police have assigned First Squad detectives to investigate the crash. As of the initial press release, no charges have been filed against any party. The investigation is ongoing, and police have not yet confirmed whether speed, signal violations, intoxication, or any other specific factor contributed to the collision. Further details on the investigation’s direction remain limited pending the completion of the detective review.
Under New York State law, e-bikes operated on public roadways are subject to traffic signals and must comply with red lights at intersections. Whether the specific signal status for the eastbound West Oak Street approach played a role in the crash will likely be a central question for investigators. Police have not yet confirmed that determination.
Broader Impact
The serious injury of an e-bike rider at a signalized intersection highlights a statewide concern about the rapid growth of e-bike use on Long Island roads. E-bikes — capable of reaching speeds of 20 mph or more — are increasingly sharing intersections with motor vehicles, and New York has been actively updating its regulations to address classification, equipment requirements, and where these vehicles may legally operate. For anyone involved in an e-bike crash in Suffolk County, the Long Island Traffic Know Your Rights resource provides guidance on navigating injury claims and New York’s no-fault insurance framework. This crash also comes amid a busy stretch of roadway incidents across the county, including a moderate crash on NY 231 the previous day and a crash on the Sagtikos State Parkway just 24 hours before this collision.