Privacy update — September 18, 2026: Identifying details have been removed under our victim privacy policy.
What Happened
Felix Pantaleon, 24, of Lindenhurst pleaded guilty Friday, September 4, 2026, to second-degree manslaughter and four other charges stemming from a September 22, 2024 crash on the Southern State Parkway in North Babylon that killed a 49-year-old West Babylon man and injured four others, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney.
Pantaleon was driving a 2014 Honda Civic westbound on the Southern State Parkway at approximately 10:30 p.m. when the crash occurred, prosecutors said. Data recovered from the Civic showed Pantaleon was traveling about 121 mph at the time. Before striking the victim’s vehicle, he cut off other drivers and weaved between lanes, according to court documents and Pantaleon’s own admissions during the guilty plea.
Pantaleon’s Civic rear-ended a 2009 Honda CR-V driven by the victim. The impact sent both vehicles off the roadway. The CR-V crashed into woods along the right shoulder. Pantaleon’s Civic struck the median barrier and then also careened into the woods, per Patch.
The driver of the CR-V was pronounced dead at the scene. One passenger in the CR-V suffered fractures to the vertebrae and pelvis and required treatment at a rehabilitation facility, prosecutors said. Three other occupants of the CR-V were taken to local hospitals with injuries.
Before the crash, Pantaleon used his cellphone to record himself operating the Civic in what DA Tierney’s office described as a dangerous manner. The footage was recovered as part of the prosecution.
“This defendant’s egregious actions killed another innocent driver,” DA Tierney said in a statement released Friday. “Vehicles become lethal weapons in the hands of those who treat them like toys.”
Location & Road Context
The crash occurred on the westbound Southern State Parkway in North Babylon, Suffolk County. According to Long Island Traffic’s incident registry, the Southern State Parkway has recorded 222 incidents so far in 2026, with 62 in the past 30 days alone — this case among them. The most recent prior fatal crash on the corridor before this guilty plea was recorded August 7, 2026.
The Southern State Parkway through North Babylon carries heavy westbound volume in the late evening hours, particularly on weekends. The stretch where both vehicles left the roadway has wooded shoulders on the right and a barrier-divided median, leaving limited recovery room for any vehicle traveling at highway speed, let alone 121 mph.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Pantaleon pleaded guilty before Acting Supreme Court Justice Steven Pilewski in Suffolk County to one count of second-degree manslaughter, a felony; one count of second-degree assault, a felony; three counts of third-degree assault, misdemeanors; and reckless driving, according to the DA’s office. The plea was entered Friday, September 4, 2026, nearly two years after the September 22, 2024 collision.
Pantaleon is scheduled to return to court October 23, 2026, and is expected to be sentenced to four to 12 years in prison, prosecutors said.