They had 3 #kids & 6 #grandchildren, a loving #family who tonight is in mourning. #police say 17 yr old Nahriek Belford, while driving stolen SUV, hit Jerry & Randee Weingarten’s car, killing couple who lived on #longisland .Hear from suspect’s parents at 6 @abc7ny pic.twitter.com/37qaSo01TI — Kemberly Richardson (@kemrichardson7) February 10, 2019 MIDDLE ISLAND, Suffolk County (WABC) -- Three people were killed and two others seriously injured after a police chase involving a stolen car ended in a crash on Long Island, authorities said.The accident happened around 11:50 p.m. Saturday on Route 25 near Birchwood Park Drive in Middle Island.Suffolk County police say the incident began when an officer observed a Nissan Rogue failing to stop at a stop sign and operating in a reckless manner on Main Street in Yaphank.The Nissan, driven by 17-year-old Nahriek Belford, had been reported stolen on Thursday from Montauk Highway in East Patchogue.When the officer tried to stop the car, the driver fled. A pursuit ensued, with the officer following while calling for back up, police said.The Nissan was heading west on Route 25 when it struck a Honda CRV that was trying to make a left turn onto Birchwood Park Drive.The two people in the CRV, identified as 72-year-old Jerry Weingarten and 71-year-old Randee Weingerten, were pronounced dead at the scene. "They were the foundation of our family," daughter Stephanie Weingarten Furrer said. "Our rocks. Everyone is truly heartbroken. They have touched so many lives. This is a huge loss to so many people. "A 16-year-old passenger in the suspect's car, Belford's brother Angelo Belford, also died at the scene.Belford and another passenger in the Nissan were taken to Stony Brook University Hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.Belford was charged with one count of reckless endangerment, but police upgraded charges are expected.His stepmother, Wyteria Belford, said she was in shock over the incident and expressed sympathy for the families of the victims. "We're all trying to stick in there and make sense of everything," she said.She said she visited her son in the hospital overnight and said he does not remember anything about what happened. "He didn't know he was going to kill somebody," brother Raheme Belford said. "He's not that type of kid. He's a great kid...To the families, the other two people, our condolences. We are deeply, truly saddened. We're hurting just like they are. "Both vehicles were impounded for safety checks.Detectives are asking anyone who may have witnessed the crash to contact the Major Case Unit at 631-852-6555 or anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 800-220-TIPS.Funeral services for the Weingartens will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at IJ Morris, located at 21 East Deer Park Road in Dix Hills. Burial will follow at New Montefiore Cemetery on Wellwood Avenue in West Babylon.Meanwhile, Suffolk police are investigating whether chase protocol was followed. It was a single officer in the patrol car"In this instance, we had circumstances that permitted a pursuit when we had an individual fleeing an arrest who was driving in a reckless manner who appeared to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol," Suffolk Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart said. "Detectives are looking at video from the area. We're going to look at speed. We're going to look at time of day. We're going to look at weather conditions. We're going to look at the supervisor's contact with the officer." ----------<doc-sep>A teenager suspected of driving under the influence crashed a stolen sport utility vehicle into another car while fleeing police in Middle Island, killing his half-brother and a couple in their 70s, authorities said Sunday. Nahriek Belford, 17, of Bellport was charged with one count of reckless endangerment in the Saturday night crash. Additional charges are expected, police said, and he is to be arraigned at a later date. The Nissan Rogue driven by Belford was traveling west on Route 25 about 11:50 p.m. when it struck a 2009 Honda CRV attempting to make a left turn onto Birchwood Park Drive, officials said. The driver of the Honda, Jerome Weingarten, 74, of Middle Island, and his wife, Randee Weingarten, 71, were pronounced dead at the scene by a physician assistant with the Suffolk County medical examiner's office. A passenger in the Nissan, Angelo Belford, 19, was also pronounced dead at the scene. Police identified Angelo Belford as Nahriek Belford’s half-brother. Jaquelle Funderburke, 16, a passenger in the Nissan, survived the crash, police said. Belford and Funderburke were taken to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of injuries that were serious but not life-threatening, police said. Belford was still in the hospital on Monday morning. The Weingartens' son, Jason Weingarten, 41, said Sunday that his parents were returning home from dinner at the time of the crash. The couple were married for 50 years and had two other children — both daughters — and six grandchildren, he said. Get the Suffolk news this week newsletter! The biggest news, politics and crime stories in Suffolk County, in your inbox every Friday at noon. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy. Randee Weingarten was a retired bookkeeper for an attorney and played mahjong, her son said, and Jerome Weingarten did tax preparation work for part of the year and rooted for his beloved New York Rangers and Jets. "They enjoyed life," Jason Weingarten said. "This is a huge loss.” Belford had trouble staying in his lane, leading police to conclude he was under the influence when the SUV hit the Weingartens' Honda, Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart said Sunday during a news conference at the First Precinct in West Babylon. "I want to extend our sincerest condolences to the family of Jerome Weingarten and his wife Randee as well as 19-year-old Angelo Belford, a passenger in the Nissan who died in this unfortunate accident,” Hart said. A Suffolk police officer saw the gray 2015 Nissan about 11:45 p.m. Saturday in Yaphank, according to Hart. “A Seventh Precinct police officer observed a Nissan Rogue fail to stop at a stop sign at Yaphank Avenue and Main Street in Yaphank," Hart said. "The officer … attempted to pull over the vehicle but the driver refused to stop.” The Nissan had been reported stolen Thursday from Montauk Highway in East Patchogue and the license plates had been switched, Hart said. The officer followed the Nissan while radioing for backup assistance, police said. Suffolk police did not identify the officer who followed the Nissan, but Chief of Patrol Robert Brown said he was a veteran. Hart said the department has launched an internal investigation to determine if the officer observed department protocols while following the SUV for less than five miles before the crash. Police are also investigating how fast the Nissan and the police vehicle were traveling. Both vehicles were impounded for safety checks. The crash comes nearly a year after a fatal collision in Ridge that involved a driver fleeing police. That crash killed five people. Police said Jamel Turner, 24, of Bellport hit speeds topping 150 mph before plowing into the other car. Turner pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, aggravated-vehicular homicide and other charges last year. His case is pending in state court. Suffolk police said Sunday that an internal investigation found the officers who pursued Turner had not violated procedures and no changes had been made to the department’s pursuit protocol as a result of the crash. Police declined to release the department’s pursuit protocols Sunday. Suffolk County Major Case detectives are investigating the Middle Island crash. Anyone with information is urged to call the major case unit at 631-852-6555 or Crime Stoppers at 800-220-8477. With Chau Lam and David M. Schwartz<doc-sep>
Crime & Safety Police ID Victims in Triple Fatal Long Island Crash Police were pursuing a 17-year-old driving a stolen SUV when it collided with another SUV. Three people were pronounced dead at the scene. Reply UPDATE 6:45 p.m.: Jerome Weingarten, 74, and his wife, Randee Weingarten, 71, of Middle Island, have been identified as the occupants of the 2009 Honda CRV. Angelo Belford, 19, of Bellport, has been identified as the passenger of the 2015 Nissan Rogue killed in the crash. Angelo Belford is Nahriek Belford's brother. Jaquell Funderburke, 16, was a passenger in the Nissan and survived the crash. MIDDLE ISLAND, NY – Three people were killed and two others seriously injured in a Long Island crash Saturday night. A Suffolk County Police officer observed a gray 2015 Nissan Rogue fail to stop at a stop sign and operating in a reckless manner on Main Street in Yaphank around 11:45 p.m., police said. The Nissan had been reported stolen on Feb. 7 from Montauk Highway in East Patchogue. The officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but the driver, 17-year-old Nahriek Belford, fled, police said. The officer followed the Nissan while radioing for back-up assistance. The Nissan was traveling westbound on Route 25 in Middle Island when it struck a 2009 Honda CRV that was attempting to make a left turn onto Birchwood Park Drive at about 11:50 p.m. The driver and a passenger in the Honda, a 74-year-old man and his 71-year-old wife, and a 16-year-old passenger in the Nissan, were pronounced dead at the scene Their identities are being withheld pending notification of next of kin. Belford, and another passenger in the Nissan, were transported to Stony Brook University Hospital with serious, but non-life threatening injuries. Belford, of Bellport, was charged with one count of reckless endangerment. Additional charges are anticipated, police said. He will be arraigned at a later date. The investigation is continuing and detectives are asking anyone who may have witnessed the crash to contact the Major Case Unit at 631-852-6555 or anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 800-220-TIPS.