RIVERSIDE, NY — A Port Jefferson man pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide, and several related charges, in connection with being high while behind the wheel of a stolen vehicle that fatally struck the vehicle of a 73-year-old woman in Centereach, and livestreaming it on social media, Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney said Tuesday.
Matthew Papile, 18, of Port Jefferson additionally pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter, aggravated vehicular assault, and second-degree assault. He also pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an incident without reporting, resulting in death, third-degree criminal possession of stolen property, driving while impaired by drugs, and reckless driving.
When Papile is due back in court on Oct. 15, 2026, he is expected to be sentenced to six to 18 years in prison.
Patch has reached out to his defense attorney, Sean Dixon, of Hauppauge, for comment.
Tierney said that the guilty plea "underscores the outrageous and utterly unacceptable decision to get behind the wheel of a stolen vehicle while impaired and drive recklessly through the streets of Suffolk County."
"The defendant's choices on that day were selfish, lethal,
and they ruined lives," he said. "We continue to express our condolences to the victim's family."
Papile livestreamed his driving on Instagram on the evening of May 4, 2024, as he drove a stolen 2008 Land Rover LR2, while impaired by marijuana, prosecutors said, adding that law enforcement officers later recovered the Instagram posts, which showed the defendant broadcasting his erratic driving of the stolen vehicle, culminating with the fatal crash.
Earlier that morning, a Coram resident contacted police and reported his blue 2008 Land Rover LR2 missing from his driveway, and at around 9:10 p.m. that evening, Papile, who was 16 years old at the time, was driving the stolen car eastbound on Middle Country Road when he struck the side of another vehicle, causing damage, prosecutors said.
Papile fled from the scene and continued driving in a reckless manner, weaving across the eastbound lanes of travel, cutting off other vehicles and speeding, according to prosecutors. He slammed into the rear of the 1994 Toyota Corolla driven by Marion Napolitano, sending it off the road, and the impact caused Napolitano's vehicle to crash into a telephone pole and tree, prosecutors said.
The stolen Land Rover spun out and ultimately came to a rest in the center lane of travel, prosecutors said, adding that Papile got out of the car and bolted from the scene.
Three Good Samaritans, including an off-duty Suffolk
County police officer, chased after Papile and detained him until responding officers arrived at the scene, according to prosecutors.
Napolitano was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead, prosecutors said.
Papile's front-seat passenger was also treated at the hospital for a traumatic brain injury, and remains seriously injured two years after the crash, according to prosecutors.
Responding police officers saw Papile exhibiting signs of impairment by marijuana and placed him under arrest at the scene, prosecutors said, adding that Papile admitted to smoking marijuana and consented to a blood test upon request.
Subsequent toxicology testing results revealed the presence
of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, in his system, according to prosecutors.
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