Privacy update — September 18, 2026: Identifying details have been removed under our victim privacy policy.
What Happened
Thomas Lobianco, 26, of Lake Ronkonkoma was back before a Suffolk County judge on September 9, 2026, to face a new, expanded set of charges, including aggravated vehicular homicide, stemming from a drug-impaired wrong-way crash that killed a road construction worker and injured two others at the intersection of Townline Road and Terry Road last month, according to News 12 Long Island.
Prosecutors say Lobianco was impaired by drugs when he drove the wrong way at a high rate of speed, blew a red light, and drove into an active work zone at Townline Road and Terry Road. Three road construction workers, all wearing safety vests, were struck. One worker was killed. Two other workers suffered serious injuries, according to News 12 Long Island.
“It was all preventable,” Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said at the September 9 proceedings. Tierney said the worker who was killed leaves three children and a family he described as “obviously devastated.”
Surveillance video from a 7-Eleven near the crash site, where Lobianco had worked the overnight shift, showed him swaying, stumbling, and nearly falling multiple times before the crash, prosecutors said. Cannabis, clonazepam, and other drugs were recovered from his backpack. A switchblade knife was found in his vehicle. Tierney said experts would testify that combining those substances produces a synergistic effect, making the overall impairment greater than any one drug alone.
Lobianco’s attorney pushed back on the impairment conclusion. “We do not have the finalized results and they are not yet complete,” the defense attorney said. “So any indication of what the levels of intoxication were, we cannot draw any conclusions at this time.” The attorney also said his client “feels horrific that one individual lost their life, and we have two other individuals that were seriously injured.”
The judge set bail at $7.5 million cash or $15 million bond and suspended Lobianco’s driver’s license. Lobianco faces 8⅓ to 25 years in prison if convicted on the aggravated vehicular homicide charge. His next court appearance is October 14, 2026.
Location & Road Context
The crash occurred at the intersection of Townline Road and Terry Road in Suffolk County, an active construction zone at the time of the incident. Work zones on Suffolk County roads carry elevated penalties for traffic violations under New York State law; a worker was in a marked safety vest when struck. Suffolk County’s local incident database contains 960 recorded accidents in the county.
For current conditions and lane closure advisories on Suffolk County roads, see 511NY and the Long Island Traffic construction log.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Lobianco’s September 9 court appearance was his second before a judge on this case, with prosecutors presenting a substantially expanded charge sheet that now includes aggravated vehicular homicide. The drug toxicology results are not yet finalized, per the defense attorney, and the full scope of confirmed substance levels remains pending. Prosecutors have said expert testimony on the synergistic effect of combining cannabis, clonazepam, and additional drugs will be part of their case.
Bail stands at $7.5 million cash or $15 million bond, per the judge’s order. Lobianco’s license was suspended as a condition of the proceedings. The next court date is October 14, 2026, per News 12 Long Island.