Search fatalities

Justin Mendez

Age : 22

Gender : Male

Race : Latino/a/e

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 : Driver 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 Justin Mendez continued driving away, the officer activated the patrol vehicle's emergency lights and followed westbound. Police later stated the officer had discontinued the pursuit before the collision, although witnesses and video evidence indicated the patrol vehicle remained behind Mendez's vehicle with its emergency lights activated shortly before the crash.
Near the intersection of Montauk Highway and Quogue Street, Mendez's vehicle crossed the center line and collided head-on with an eastbound Uber vehicle. Mendez was killed in the crash along with Uber driver Farhan Zahid and passengers Ryan James Kiess, Michael Farrell, and James Farrell. A total of five people died during the police encounter.
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.

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