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Michael Farrell

Age : 20

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 Uber vehicle. Michael Farrell, a passenger in the Uber, was killed in the collision along with Uber driver Farhan Zahid, passengers James Patrick Farrell Jr. and Ryan James Kiess, and the driver of the pursued vehicle, Justin Mendez. 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.
Michael Farrell was remembered by family and friends as a kind and outgoing young man. He died alongside his older brother, James Patrick Farrell Jr., in the crash. Their deaths profoundly affected their family and community.

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
https://www.wabc.com/news/fatal-crash-5-dead-including-uber-driver-and-passengers-on-montauk-highway