Manorville Man Dead After Grisly Crash

Emergency responders worked feverishly to make some sense of a smoke-filled scene that left a man dead on County Road 94 January 3.

Southampton Town police got the call 7 PM reporting what appeared to be a one-car accident — an overturned vehicle stuck in the trees — about a half-mile west of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office Riverhead Correctional Facility.

Emergency dispatchers knew from the sound of a witness that heavy rescue equipment would be needed, and asked a Riverhead Fire Department rescue unit race to the scene.

With flashlights burning EMTs extricated the unresponsive man — identified the next day as Nicholas Rutigliano, 30, of Manorville — who was confirmed dead on the scene by the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Rutigliano was driving a 2006 Acura when he supposedly lost control, according to police, and flew off the road into the wooded area. County Road 94 was closed well into the night, and it took four hours to remove the mangled vehicle.

The investigation is ongoing.

rmurphy@indyeastend.com