Man Pleads Guilty to Killing 5 in Fiery Long Island Crash

RIDGE, NY — A Bellport man pleaded guilty Wednesday for killing five people in a fiery Valentine's Day 2018 Ridge crash — and seriously injuring a sixth, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini.

The man's dog also died in the crash, Sini said.

Jamel Turner, 25, pleaded guilty to five counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, a felony; six counts of first degree assault, a violent felony; one count of driving while ability impaired by drugs, a misdemeanor; and one count of third degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, a felony, Sini said.

“Our job is to deliver justice on behalf of the victims and their families; this is a significant sentence that does just that,” Sini said. “This is a dangerous individual, and he will now be off the streets for a very long time. This would not have been possible without the great work of the Suffolk County Police Department and the prosecutors in this case, Brendan Ahern, Carl Borelli and Ashley Moruzzi.”

Turner faces a sentence of 27 years in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced by Suffolk County Acting Supreme Court Justice Fernando Camacho on May 7, Sini said.

On Feb. 14, 2018, at 11:20 a.m., Turner was driving a 2018 Chevrolet Camaro SS, which was reported stolen, eastbound on Route 25 when he crashed into a 2012 Mazda that was also traveling eastbound, Sini said.

At the time of the crash, Turner was driving the vehicle at a speed of 154 mph, Sini said. The Camaro then struck an oil truck traveling westbound and the Mazda struck a 1999 Infiniti traveling eastbound, Sini said.

Photo by Fully Involved Media Group / Brian LaMonica Jr.

The four passengers in the Mazda, who were identified as Jacquelyn McCoy, 55, of Calverton; her daughter, Mary Alice Booker, 36, of Riverhead; McCoy’s son, Anthony McCoy, 33, and his girlfriend, Tameka Foster, 42, were pronounced dead at the scene by the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner, Sini said.

The cause of death for all four victims was determined to be blunt force trauma and thermal injuries, indicating that they were still alive following the impact, Sini said.

Lonidell Skinner, 19, of Bellport, who was a passenger in the Camaro, was ejected from the vehicle on impact and was pronounced dead at the scene, Sini said.

Turner’s dog, Prince, was also ejected from the Camaro and died, Sini said.

Turner was operating the vehicle while impaired by marijuana and was in possession of crack cocaine at the time of the incident, Sini said.

Turner was also charged with third degree criminal sale of a controlled substance for selling cocaine on three occasions in August and September 2017, Sini said.