New York State Police released on Wednesday the names of the victims in the Wantagh State Parkway crash that happened early Monday morning.
The crash had claimed the lives of the driver, identified as Anthony Pittello, 22, of Bayville, who police said had a prior suspended license for unpaid parking tickets. The other two victims whose lives were claimed in the wreck were the front seat passenger, identified as Michelle Iskander, 19, of Wantagh, and the rear seat passenger, identified as Jonathan Cosme, 23, of the Bronx.
The lone survivor is Candace Spruell, 19, of Amityville, a rear-seat passenger who is being treated for a broken neck, leg and pelvis at Nassau University Medical Center.
The Honda Civic they were traveling in crashed at around 2:50 a.m just north of Merrick Road on the southbound side of the parkway. Police said speed was a factor when the car hit a tree on the side of the roadway.
“Excessive speed continues to be a problem for many young drivers,” said Commander Major Walter Heesch, who is in charge of the Long Island region for the state Troopers. “It is too early to determine whether drugs and alcohol were a contributing factor in this tragic accident. Our Investigators will be waiting for autopsy results to determine drug and/or alcohol involvement,” he added.
Those results are expected sometime next week, police said.
