What Happened
Noah Slusser, 21, of Medford, was indicted on manslaughter and related charges stemming from an alleged drunk- and drugged-driving crash that killed a 44-year-old Holtsville man in Middle Island, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office announced. According to the indictment, at approximately 12:06 a.m. on August 27, 2026, Slusser was driving a 2017 Ford Taurus southbound on Wilson Avenue at a high rate of speed while under the influence of alcohol and drugs, as reported by TBR News Media. Slusser allegedly drove into a marked shoulder lane and struck a parked 2025 Toyota Crown near Adams Lane. Responding officers observed signs of intoxication and placed Slusser under arrest at the scene, according to the DA’s office.
A second occupant of the Toyota, a 27-year-old woman from Middle Island was taken to NYU Langone Hospital – Suffolk with injuries that were not life-threatening, Suffolk Police said at the time of the crash.
Slusser was initially charged only with driving while intoxicated and pleaded not guilty at Suffolk First District Court in Central Islip, Greater Long Island reported. Following further investigation, he was indicted on eight counts and arraigned October 14 before Acting Supreme Court Justice Philip Goglas, where he pleaded not guilty, Greater Long Island reported.
The charges, as listed by the DA’s office and reported by Long Island Life & Politics, are:
- Manslaughter in the Second Degree (class C felony — top count)
- Vehicular Manslaughter in the Second Degree (class D felony)
- Assault in the Second Degree (class D violent felony)
- Driving While Intoxicated (two counts, unclassified misdemeanors)
- Driving While Impaired by Drugs (unclassified misdemeanor)
- Driving While Impaired by the Combined Influence of Alcohol and Drugs (unclassified misdemeanor)
- Reckless Driving (unclassified misdemeanor)
Justice Goglas ordered Slusser held on $250,000 cash, $500,000 bond, or $1,500,000 partially secured bond, and suspended his license, TBR News Media reported. Slusser faces five to 15 years in prison if convicted on the top count. His legal representation was noted by TBR News Media.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney David Geller of the Vehicular Crime Bureau; the investigation was conducted by Detective Alicia Ditta of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Sixth Squad, TBR News Media reported.
“Drunk and drugged drivers kill too many Suffolk citizens when they could simply call a ride share,” District Attorney Ray Tierney said in a statement reported by TBR News Media. “This driver is alleged to have driven under the influence of both alcohol and drugs, at excessive speed, before crashing into a parked car and killing” the victim, “who was simply sitting in his car. We will seek to hold the defendant responsible for this perfectly avoidable tragedy.”
Editor’s note: The source article at Long Island Life & Politics identifies Slusser as a “Middle Island man.” The Suffolk County DA’s office, TBR News Media, Greater Long Island, Patch, and SciFisland all identify him as being from Medford; the DA’s announcement is the official record.
On This Corridor
Long Island Traffic has published seven indexable reports on incidents in Middle Island in the past 12 months, per LIT’s deduplicated incident registry. A prior LIT report covered a September 9, 2026 fatal crash in Middle Island.
What Officials Have Said Next
Slusser was due back in court on November 17, 2026, according to TBR News Media and Long Island Life & Politics.
What we don’t know yet: no source identifies the specific drug or drugs beyond “drugs” generically, and no source has reported whether the Assault in the Second Degree charge relates to the second occupant of the parked Toyota or to another person.
Sources
- lilifepolitics.com
- Greaterlongisland (note: URL path contains a withheld name; link retained as source reference only)
- Patch
- TBR News Media
- Daily Voice
- SciFisland.com