Riverhead Bridge Named for Fallen Trooper Thomas J. Consorte

An overpass in Riverhead has been named for a 24-year-old New York State Trooper who died there while investigating the scene of a vehicle crash 34 years ago.

Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill into law on October 31 designating the Route 25 Long Island Expressway overpass as the Trooper Thomas J. Consorte Memorial Bridge in honor of Consorte’s service.

“Our troopers dedicate their life to keeping New Yorkers safe, and we all owe a debt of gratitude to Thomas J. Consorte for his heroism and sacrifice,” Hochul said.

Trooper Consorte, who had helped apprehend a suspect who shot at a Suffolk County Police office a year before his death, lost his life on November 23, 1987 when he was struck by a car. He is one of 16 state troopers killed in the line of duty on Long Island over the past century, officials said.

“The renamed bridge is both a testament to his legacy and to the inherent risk and danger our members of law enforcement face when they put on the uniform,” New York State Sen. Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk) said.

State Assembly member Jodi Giglio (R-Riverhead) added, “With many bridges, tunnels and roadways in the state, the naming of the site where this accident occurred is monumental.”