5 Killed in Head-on Crash in Quogue

Five people were killed and a sixth was critically injured in a head-on car crash in Quogue on Saturday night, Quogue Village Police said. It marked the deadliest auto collision in years on the East End.

Justin B. Mendez, 22, of Brookhaven, was driving alone in a Nissan Maxima westbound on Montauk Highway when the car veered into the opposite lane of traffic and collided with an eastbound Toyota Prius near the corner of  Quogue Street East at 11:19 p.m., police said. Investigators noted that police officers tried to pull him over for speeding shortly before the crash.

The Uber driver behind the wheel of the Prius, 32-year-old Farhan Zahid of Bay Shore, and three of his passengers were pronounced dead at the scene. The passengers included three Manhasset men: 25-year-old James Kiess, 20-year-old Michael Farrell, and his 25-year-old brother, James Farrell.

Mendez died shortly later at Southampton Hospital. A Garden City woman who was also a passenger in the Prius was taken to Peconic Bay Medical Center, where she is listed in critical condition. 

Quogue Village Police detectives are investigating the cause of the crash along with New York State Police, Southampton Town Police and Westhampton Beach Police. 

Quogue Village Police ask anyone with information about the crash to call the detective division at 631-653-4791.