Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
A 26-year-old Mastic man was left in critical condition Wednesday morning after the e-bike he was riding was struck by a vintage Ford Mustang at a residential intersection in Mastic, according to the Suffolk County Police Department.
The crash occurred at 9:55 a.m. on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at the intersection of Babylon Street and Shinnecock Avenue in Mastic, a hamlet within the Town of Brookhaven on Long Island’s South Shore. According to the Suffolk County Police Department press release, George Maxwell was operating a 1965 Ford Mustang northbound on Babylon Street at the time of the collision. The Mustang was struck by an eastbound Lectric e-bike traveling along Shinnecock Avenue. The intersection geometry placed the two vehicles on a perpendicular path, raising immediate questions about right-of-way at the crossing.
The operator of the Lectric e-bike, identified as Richard Gonzalez, 26, of Mastic, sustained critical injuries in the impact. Emergency responders transported Gonzalez to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition, per the Suffolk County Police Department. The severity of his injuries underscores the particular vulnerability of e-bike operators in collisions with full-sized motor vehicles — a growing concern across New York State as e-bike usage continues to rise sharply on Long Island.
The driver of the Mustang, George Maxwell, remained at the scene following the collision. His age, hometown, and condition were not included in the initial police press release, and those details remain limited pending further information from investigators. No charges had been publicly announced as of the time of this report, and police have not yet confirmed whether speed, traffic signal violations, or other contributing factors played a role in the crash.
The Seventh Squad detectives of the Suffolk County Police Department are actively investigating the incident. The department has not yet released information regarding witness accounts, road surface conditions, or weather at the time of the crash. Whether any traffic control devices — such as stop signs or signals — govern the Babylon Street and Shinnecock Avenue intersection has not been addressed in the official record, and police have not yet confirmed those specifics.
Location & Road Context
The crash took place at the intersection of Babylon Street and Shinnecock Avenue in Mastic, a densely populated South Shore hamlet in the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County. Mastic sits along the southern edge of Long Island, bordered by the William Floyd Parkway to the east and Mastic Beach to the south. The area is characterized by a grid of residential streets with moderate through-traffic, and intersections in this part of Mastic often lack traffic signals, relying instead on stop sign controls — though police have not yet confirmed the specific traffic control setup at this location.
Babylon Street serves as a north-south residential connector in the neighborhood, while Shinnecock Avenue runs east-west. Our Long Island Traffic accident database lists this as the first recorded incident at this specific intersection. Suffolk County overall has accumulated 457 recorded accidents in our local database, reflecting the county’s ongoing challenge with traffic safety across its mix of suburban arterials, parkways, and residential streets.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Suffolk County Police Seventh Squad detectives are leading the investigation into the crash, per the official department press release. As of the time of publication, no charges have been announced against either party. Police have not yet confirmed whether the investigation will focus on driver error, e-bike operator behavior, or road design factors at the intersection. The investigation remains active and ongoing, and further details are expected to be released as detectives complete their review of physical evidence and any available surveillance or witness accounts.
Broader Impact
Under New York State law, e-bikes classified as Class 1, 2, or 3 are permitted on roadways, but riders are not required to wear helmets if they are 18 or older — a provision that has drawn scrutiny from safety advocates, particularly in cases involving critical injuries like this one. Whether Gonzalez was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash has not been confirmed by police. The rapid proliferation of e-bikes in communities like Mastic, where flat terrain and dense residential layouts make them an attractive transportation option, has outpaced many municipalities’ efforts to address intersection safety for vulnerable road users. Wednesday’s crash was one of several major incidents recorded across Suffolk County on the same day, including a seriously injured motorcyclist and a critical crash involving an off-duty Suffolk County police officer, signaling a troubling pattern for mid-June road safety on Long Island.