Police identify 4 people killed in East Marion head-on collision

Emergency personnel responded to the fiery two-car crash around 11:30 p.m.

News 12 Staff

Feb 18, 2023, 5:14 PM

Updated 595 days ago

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Police identified Saturday four people who were killed in a late Friday night collision in East Marion.
Southhold police said 47-year-old Heath Miller, of Greenport, and 55-year-old William Price, of Connecticut, were traveling westbound on Rt. 25 in a 2023 Tesla when they collided head-on with a Ford Explorer. That vehicle was driven by 80-year-old Peter Smith and his passenger 66-year-old Patricia O'Neill, both of Brooklyn.
The occupants were trapped in their cars. Emergency personnel responded to the fiery two-car crash around 11:30 p.m.
The intensity of the flames was so fierce that it charred the road.
"That vehicle was a Tesla with a lithium battery, which does not go out easily. Took a while for the fire department to extinguish that," said Southold Town Police Chief Martin Flatley.
Some people who live nearby the scene of the collision said they heard the sirens and came by the accident scene on Saturday.
"I'm just heartbroken that something like that, just a peaceful night last night and then I wake up and hear this news," said resident Joe Licari.
Police said as of Saturday that they did not have much information because there were no witnesses and no cameras nearby.
The New York State Accident Reconstruction team will try to piece together the cause of the accident.