Man Pleads Guilty In 4-Car Drunken Collision In North Patchogue: DA

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — A man pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular assault and other charges after he stole a car, drove under the influence of alcohol, and caused a four-car collision in North Patchogue that left a 73-year-old woman with serious physical injuries, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney announced Tuesday.

Jeffrey Edsall, 52, of Patchogue, is expected to be sentenced to three to six years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision. The DA's Office recommended Edsall be sentenced to the maximum allowed by the law, 7-and-a-half to 15 years with five years post-release supervision.

"This defendant was not only operating a stolen car, but he was doing so while under the influence of alcohol," Tierney said in a news release. "Motorists and their passengers have the right to drive the streets of Suffolk County without having to fear that they are going to be struck by a reckless drunk driver. This defendant presented a clear danger to the citizens of Suffolk County and now will be held accountable for his dangerous actions."

Edsall was driving a stolen blue 2001 Ford Explorer north on North Ocean Avenue in North Patchogue around 7 p.m. June 15, 2023, the DA said. Video surveillance footage from a nearby business captured Edsall rear-end an SUV which was waiting to make a left turn into a parking lot, investigators said.

The force of the crash caused the SUV to be pushed forward several feet and the stolen Ford Explorer to spin into the oncoming southbound lane where it collided with two more vehicles, one of which contained a 73-year-old woman, officials said. The woman suffered a broken nose,
a fractured right wrist, a fractured right leg that required surgery, and other physical injuries, authorities said.

Edsall was ejected from the stolen vehicle and found lying unresponsive nearby, the DA said.
Suffolk police transported Edsall to Stony Brook University Hospital, where a sample of his blood taken by hospital staff was seized as part of a search warrant, prosecutors said. Edsall’s blood was tested, which revealed that his blood alcohol concentration was 0.13% at the time the blood was drawn, authorities said.

Edsall pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular assault, second-degree assault, fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, and driving while intoxicated, the DA said.

Edsall is due back in court on March 4. He is being represented by Adam J. Markou of the Suffolk County Legal Aid Society.