Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
A man is dead and two others were injured after a crash in North Patchogue late Thursday night that brought a swift and legally mandated response from the highest levels of state law enforcement. Newsday reported that Hilton Spokony, 45, of East Patchogue, was killed in the collision, which occurred at approximately 10:10 p.m. Thursday, June 12, 2026, at the intersection of Waverly Avenue and Buckley Road in North Patchogue, Suffolk County.
According to the police account released the following Friday, Spokony was a passenger in a 2023 Kia Forte being driven by his 79-year-old mother-in-law. The Kia was traveling southbound on Waverly Avenue when it attempted to turn left onto Buckley Road. At that moment, it “collided with” a 2016 Dodge Ram that was headed northbound on Waverly Avenue, police said. Behind the wheel of the Dodge Ram was a 55-year-old Suffolk County police officer who was off-duty at the time of the crash. Police have not publicly identified either the officer or Spokony’s mother-in-law.
The impact proved fatal for Spokony. He was transported by emergency responders to NYU Langone Hospital in Suffolk, where he was pronounced dead, according to Newsday. His mother-in-law was transported separately to Stony Brook University Hospital, where she was treated for injuries that police described as non-life-threatening. The off-duty officer was also taken to Stony Brook University Hospital and treated for what police characterized as minor injuries.
The fatal nature of the crash and the involvement of a law enforcement officer triggered an automatic legal process under New York State law. On Wednesday, June 17, 2026 — five days after the crash — state Attorney General Letitia James announced that her office’s Office of Special Investigations (OSI) would investigate the incident. The announcement followed the legal requirement that OSI assess every incident reported to it “when a police officer or peace officer” may have caused the death of a person “by an act or omission,” the AG’s office stated.
The Attorney General’s office underscored the broad scope of the law in its statement, noting that it applies whether the officer was on-duty or off-duty at the time of the incident, and whether the deceased was armed or unarmed, and whether the person was in custody or incarcerated at the time — none of which applied in this particular case, but which reflects the law’s intention to cast a wide net over any officer-involved death. Spokony was a civilian passenger at the time of the crash, as reported by Newsday. The same statute that applies to police and peace officers also extends to corrections officers.
The AG’s office clarified the two-stage process OSI follows in such cases: first, investigators conduct an initial assessment of the incident’s circumstances. Only if that assessment leads OSI to determine that the officer “may have caused the death” does the process escalate into a full investigation. As of the date of the announcement, it had not been publicly confirmed whether the initial review had advanced to that second stage.
Location & Road Context
The crash took place at the intersection of Waverly Avenue and Buckley Road in North Patchogue, a residential and commercial corridor in the Town of Brookhaven in central Suffolk County. Waverly Avenue runs roughly north-south through the area and intersects with Buckley Road, a smaller side street. Left-turn movements across oncoming northbound traffic on roads like Waverly Avenue are a common factor in angle and turning collisions, particularly under low-light conditions such as those present at 10:10 p.m. on the night of the crash.
Suffolk County is one of Long Island’s most active counties for traffic incidents. Our local incident database contains 449 recorded accidents in Suffolk County on Long Island Traffic alone, reflecting the high volume of roadway activity across the county’s extensive road network. The Town of Brookhaven encompasses a large swath of central and eastern Suffolk, with numerous multi-lane arterial roads where turning conflicts and speed differentials between vehicles can create dangerous conditions.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
As of June 17, 2026, no charges had been publicly announced in connection with the crash. The New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigations is conducting the mandated review, with AG Letitia James making the formal announcement on that Wednesday. Per the AG’s office, if OSI’s assessment reveals that the off-duty officer may have caused Spokony’s death, a full investigation will be launched. The identity of the officer has not been released by Suffolk County police, and police have also withheld the name of the injured mother-in-law, per Newsday’s reporting.
The OSI was established in New York precisely to provide independent oversight in officer-involved deaths, removing the potential conflict of interest that can arise when a police department investigates one of its own. The law mandating OSI’s involvement applies regardless of the circumstances of the deceased, making the investigation a standard procedural step rather than an indication of anticipated wrongdoing. No timeline for the completion of the review has been publicly disclosed.
Broader Impact
New York’s requirement that the Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigations review all officer-involved deaths — regardless of duty status — is a relatively recent reform designed to provide independent accountability in cases that might otherwise be investigated internally by the same department employing the officer. The North Patchogue crash on Waverly Avenue is a direct example of that law being activated in a non-custodial, off-duty context, which illustrates just how broadly the statute was written. Residents involved in or witnessing accidents involving law enforcement officers on Long Island can learn more about their rights through our Know Your Rights resource page.