What Happened
A Dodge Ram pickup truck driven by 20-year-old Lorenzo Atrigliano of Lake Grove plowed through five parked vehicles and struck a father and his two young sons in the Field 2 parking lot at Robert Moses State Park at approximately 8:15 p.m. Thursday, July 24, 2026, according to News 12 Long Island.
The victims — a father and his two sons, ages 2 and 5 — were in the parking lot returning to their vehicle after a day at the beach when the out-of-control truck bore down on them. All three were struck by the pickup and transported to a hospital. New York State Park Police described the injuries to all three as non-life-threatening, per the News 12 Long Island report.
Atrigliano told investigators that the truck’s brakes became stuck, which he said caused him to lose control of the vehicle before it careened into the parked cars and struck the family. Despite his account, he was taken into custody at the scene. Police charged him with reckless driving, reckless endangerment, and several additional offenses, according to News 12 Long Island. The Dodge Ram was impounded following the crash so that investigators could conduct a full mechanical inspection of the vehicle.
New York State Park Police Major Anthony Astacio credited the father’s split-second reaction with sparing the 2-year-old from potentially catastrophic harm. “The 2-year-old we thought could have been a lot more serious, but the father was heroic enough to get his 2-year-old out of harm’s way at a second’s notice,” Astacio told News 12. Investigators also interviewed multiple witnesses who were present in the parking lot at the time of the crash.
Location & Road Context
Robert Moses State Park sits at the western end of Fire Island, accessible via the Robert Moses Causeway from the Southern State Parkway in Babylon Town. Field 2 is one of the park’s primary ocean-side beach parking areas and draws large crowds throughout the summer season, particularly on warm Thursday evenings. The Robert Moses State Park lot serves thousands of beachgoers daily during peak season, making pedestrian traffic in the parking area consistently high as visitors return to their vehicles in the evening hours.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Atrigliano was arrested at the scene and charged with reckless driving, reckless endangerment, and multiple additional offenses by the New York State Park Police, according to News 12 Long Island. His Dodge Ram pickup was impounded and is being held pending a mechanical inspection to evaluate the brake system and assess whether a vehicle defect contributed to the incident. Atrigliano is scheduled to appear in court on August 21, 2026.
Broader Impact
Reckless driving in a parking lot — particularly one as heavily trafficked as Robert Moses Field 2 on a summer evening — carries serious consequences under New York State law. A conviction on reckless endangerment in the second degree, a Class A misdemeanor, can result in up to one year in jail, while reckless driving is a moving violation that carries fines and potential license suspension. If the mechanical inspection of the impounded Dodge Ram fails to confirm a brake defect, Atrigliano’s stated explanation for the crash is unlikely to serve as a mitigating factor at his August 21 court appearance.