What Happened
John Sammartino, 54, died Wednesday evening after crashing his electric bike into a chain-link fence at Roanoke Plaza on Old County Road in Riverhead, according to News 12 Long Island. Riverhead Town police officers responded to the scene just after 5:30 p.m. and found Sammartino unconscious and in traumatic arrest, lying on the ground behind the Ross store located within the shopping center.
Witnesses described seeing Sammartino ride around the corner of the building before losing control. “He took off, as he went around the corner behind the store, he lost control as he went around the bend and he just kind of swerved and slammed right into the chain-linked fence,” Riverhead resident Christine Spicer told News 12 Long Island. Sammartino was transported to Peconic Bay Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Police confirmed that Sammartino was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash — a detail that drew pointed reactions from community members who knew him. “People make mistakes, but that was a costly mistake,” Riverhead resident Kenneth Hughs said. The absence of a helmet is particularly notable given that Riverhead had only recently begun actively enforcing a newly passed law requiring helmet use for e-bike riders.
Sammartino was well known to those who live and work at Roanoke Plaza. Affectionately called “Big John” or “peanut” by those around him, he had been experiencing homelessness and had frequented the shopping center for more than a decade, according to News 12 Long Island. The outpouring of grief from community members reflected just how embedded he had become in the daily rhythms of the plaza.
“He’s been part of my everyday life for 15 years,” Spicer said. “Five minutes later he was dead.” Riverhead resident Stephanie Morrison echoed that heartbreak, recounting a conversation with Sammartino just one day before the crash. “I just spoke with him yesterday, and I said, ‘How are ya?’” Morrison said. “He asked if our friends still work over here at the laundromat. Asked how we were all doing. See how my husband was doing. It’s a shame.”
Location & Road Context
Roanoke Plaza is a strip shopping center located on Old County Road in Riverhead, anchored by retailers including a Ross Dress for Less. The crash occurred in the service area behind the Ross store — a cut-through commonly used by cyclists and delivery vehicles navigating the rear of the plaza. Old County Road in this stretch of Riverhead sees regular commercial traffic serving the dense corridor of retail along that section of town.
For the latest traffic conditions in and around Riverhead, visit our Riverhead roads page or check Long Island accident reports for recent incidents in the area.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Riverhead Town police are conducting an ongoing investigation into the fatal crash and are asking anyone who witnessed the incident to contact the department at 631-727-4500. No additional charges or findings have been announced as of the time of publication.
Broader Impact
This crash lands squarely in the middle of a broader enforcement push on Long Island. Last month, Riverhead began actively enforcing stricter e-bike regulations — including mandatory helmet use, age requirements, speed restrictions, and bans on certain classes of e-bikes — after the town board approved the law earlier in the summer. The town cited the rapid growth of e-bike and e-scooter use, particularly among younger riders, as a serious public safety concern for riders, pedestrians, and motorists alike. Suffolk County police had separately announced their own e-bike crackdown earlier in 2026. Sammartino’s death, helmetless and alone behind a shopping center, is the kind of outcome those regulations were written to prevent.