Holbrook Woman Dies in Car Crash

A Holbrook woman was killed and her husband injured in car accident Monday afternoon as a police chase ended in their car being hit on Sunrise Highway.

The high-speed chase by members of the Sheriff’s Department ended in a crash that killed Gail Sacher, 62, of Holbrook. Her husband, Alan Sacher, 61, was transported to Southside Hospital in Bay Shore with a punctured lung, according to the Community Ambulance Company of Sayville.

Alan Sacher is the chair of the budget advisory committee for the Sachem Central School District.

The Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office has arrested three people in connection with a robbery on Monday at Tanger Outlets in Riverhead that lead to a deadly car chase that ended in Sayville.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, the three suspects in custody are Cordell Tucker, 24, of Brooklyn; Rashawn Naquan Smith, 26, of Brooklyn; and Essence Smith, 18, of Troy. They were all charged with criminal possession of stolen property in the third degree and Smith was also charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. 

Additional charges could follow pending a review by the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Initial reports on Monday indicated that three people allegedly stole more than $4,000 worth of merchandise from True Religion, a store at Tanger Outlets. The three suspects came sprinting out of the store with stacks of jeans, according to an eye witness.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, following a notification from Riverhead Town Police, the suspects’ vehicle — a 2000 Lincoln Town Car — was spotted on the Long Island Expressway. A registration check revealed switched plates not belonging to the vehicle. It had New Jersey plates at the time of the incident. A traffic stop was initiated at Exit 64 but the vehicle fled the scene as officers approached on foot.

The Sheriff’s Office said the vehicle did not stop for units from the Sheriff’s Office and Suffolk County Police for about eight minutes as they traveled south on Route 112 to Sunrise Highway. When the suspects’ car exited Sunrise Highway at Lincoln Ave., they struck the 2011 Subaru vehicle in which the Sachers were riding.

According to a person familiar with the situation, Sachar said he would not move on plans for a funeral service until he gets out of the hospital, which could be a week.

Joseph Pinciaro contributed to this story.