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Ryan James Kiess

Age : 25

Gender : Male

Race : White

Date : 07/24/2021

Location : Montauk Highway and Quogue Street

City : Quogue

County : Suffolk

State : New York

Agency : Quogue Police Department

Officer(s) :Not disclosed

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Bystander killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 07/24/2021, a Quogue Police Department officer attempted to stop a vehicle after observing it traveling without its headlights illuminated on Montauk Highway. When the driver continued driving away, the officer activated the patrol vehicle's emergency lights and followed the vehicle westbound. Police later stated the officer had discontinued the pursuit before the collision, although witnesses and video evidence indicated the patrol vehicle remained behind the fleeing vehicle with its emergency lights activated shortly before the crash.
Near the intersection of Montauk Highway and Quogue Street, the pursued vehicle crossed the center line and collided head-on with an eastbound vehicle operating as an Uber. Ryan James Kiess, a passenger in the Uber, was killed in the collision along with Uber driver Farhan Zahid, passengers Michael Farrell and James Farrell, and the driver of the pursued vehicle, Justin Mendez.
The New York State Attorney General's Office reviewed the incident because it involved a police encounter preceding the fatal crash. In 2023, the Attorney General concluded there was insufficient evidence to establish that the officer's conduct caused the collision under New York law and declined to bring criminal charges. The report noted that Quogue Police Department policy prohibited vehicle pursuits for traffic infractions and found that the officer continued following Mendez after activating emergency lights despite later stating the pursuit had been terminated.
Ryan Kiess graduated from Fairfield University and worked in New York City's financial industry. Family and friends remembered him as kind, generous, and devoted to those around him. His death, along with the deaths of the other occupants of the Uber, prompted continued scrutiny of the officer's actions and the department's pursuit practices.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/25/nyregion/fatal-crash-montauk-highway-quogue.html
https://www.newsday.com/long-island/suffolk/4-killed-in-crash-1.50240133