A Suffolk County police officer was killed in a crash on the LIE Monday morning after police say he lost control of his car and collided with another vehicle.

According to the Suffolk County Sheriff?s Department, Officer Robert Bowen, of Ronkonkoma, was off duty when he crashed in the eastbound lane near exit 58 in Hauppauge. Authorities say Bowen lost control of his car, slammed into an SUV, hit a guardrail and flipped over. The crash happened at around 4:15 a.m.

Bowen was on the police force for seven years, according to the police department. Investigators say he was not going to or returning from work, but may have been driving to pick up his brother. Bowen was also a Marine and a veteran of the war in Iraq. He leaves behind a wife and 1-year-old daughter.

The crash was just one that tied up traffic early Monday morning on that section of the LIE. Soon after Bowen crashed, there was another crash in the westbound lane. Then, at 7 a.m., a car burst into flames in the same lane in the same vicinity as both incidents. There is no word yet on injuries in the other two accidents.