A 16-year-old boy and a woman died and two other teenagers were seriously hurt in a dramatic wreck on Long Island early Monday, authorities say.
Police say 17-year-old David O'Brien, of Lindenhurst, was driving south on North Wellwood Avenue in his hometown when he veered off the road, hit a fire hydrant and smashed into a tree near Lenox Street around 5:20 a.m. Neighbors said they watched first responders try to help four young people out of the wrecked 1998 Mustang.
"I saw the fire people out on the road with somebody on the ground, and that's when I got so upset because I didn't see any movement," said longtime resident Katherine Roethgen.
"I was just praying that everyone would be OK... but it was frightening," she said.
O'Brien and three others were in the car at the time. Joseph Galdorisi, 16, of Lindenhurst, was the front seat passenger; he was pronounced dead at the scene. A woman in the backseat had CPR performed on her but she died later at the hospital, the fire chief said; her name hasn't been released.
O'Brien and a second backseat passenger, 16-year-old Daniel Ozarowski, of Lindenhurst, were taken to hospitals with serious injuries.
Both Galdorisi and Ozarowski were students at Lindenhurst High School. School officials say its crisis response team and school counselors will be made available to students and staff throughout the week.
"This shouldn't have happened. He was only 16," Galdorisi's mother said Monday.
A cause of the crash is under investigation but Suffolk police say it appears alcohol did not play a role. They say distracted driving or speeding remain two possibilities. Anyone with information is asked to call 631-852-6553.
