Families Mourn 5 Lost In LI Crash, Seek Answers, 'Pray For Bri'

QUOGUE, NY — Heartbroken families left behind after five died in a head-on crash in Quogue Saturday are left praying for the one young woman who survived, searching for answers —and crying out for safety improvements on the road where their loved ones lost their lives.

Kurt Kiess, who lost his son Ryan, 25, died in the crash, said he and his wife were spending time at the hospital with Brianna M. Maglio, 22, of Garden City, their son's girlfriend of six years and the sole survivor of the crash.

"We love Bri," he said. "We're going to kiss Bri. And we are praying for Bri."

In addition, Kiess said he and the Farrell family, who lost two sons, Michael, 20, and James, 25, have been discussing fundraising efforts to help the wife of the young people's Uber driver, Farhan Zahid, 32, of Bay Shore, who was left with small children. "She has three little kids," he said. "They're victims, too. We need to focus on them."

Quogue police plan to hold a press briefing Tuesday to address questions. Kiess said the issue of road safety is critical: "The whole town knows about this curve and has done nothing about it."

Kiess suggested maybe a concrete Jersey barrier — used to separate lines of traffic — could help.

"The notion that these are sleepy country towns is gone. That's not what this is," Kiess said, adding that the influx of traffic on roads must be addressed.

Kiess wants answers in regard to how many speeding tickets are issued during the day, versus the night hours, by Quogue Village Police, he said. He also suggested the stretch of Montauk Highway, where neighbors have voice concerns, might be redesigned.

He'd heard that the last time a crash took place at the site was years ago, Kiess said. "That's not something to be proud of," he said. "That's ridiculous. It's a curvy road. It shouldn't be that dangerous. The amount of traffic on Montauk Highway has increased over the years." Officials, he said, "need to be more responsible" and address the situation. "It can't help my son but maybe it can help someone else."

With those roads being the route many travel to take part in the East End's nightlife, what Kiess calls the "blood, the artery" for the area, Kiess said road safety is critical. As it stands, the night when his son died was clear, but on a foggy night, the roads would be even more difficult to navigate, he said.

"There's poor lighting, poor everything," he said.

Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman said it was "possible" the town might advocate the county and state for changes, depending on information that arises in regard to the cause of the crash.

On Tuesday, Quogue Village Police told Patch: "The only contributing factor we have at this time is speed."

On Monday night, about 100 grieving friends and family gathered at his home to mourn his son and the Farrell brothers who died, Kiess said. "They're devastated. These are young adults who shouldn't have to go through this. They've lost their friend; it's terrible."

A prayer service will be held for the lost on Tuesday in Manhasset at the Church of St. Mary: In a statement, Rev. Fr. Robert A. Romeo, the pastor, called "upon people of goodwill to offer prayers and support in memory of all the victims and their families impacted by the tragic accident in Quogue this past weekend. As the Catholic church, we are called at all times, most especially in those moments of deep hurting, to reach out in mutual love. With that in mind, let us offer prayers as we find our hope and consolation in Jesus Christ, who offers us strength to support the families and friends of these victims in the days ahead as they enter into eternal life," a Facebook post said.

The prayer service will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the Church of St. Mary, located at 1300 Northern Boulevard.

Condolences have been pouring in from the young men's schools, where they excelled at sports including lacrosse.

The University of Pennsylvania's men's lacrosse team sent condolences to the Farrell family; James was a captain during the 2018 season — as did the University of Scranton's lacrosse team, where Ryan Kiess played from 2015 to 2017.

In addition, the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department Company 2 remembered Ryan for his "contagious smile, great sense of humor, and willingness to help others."

Five men died in the crash on Montauk Highway Saturday night, police said.

Justin B. Mendez, 22, of Brookhaven, who was driving a red Nissan Maxima and crashed head-on into a gray Toyota Prius, died at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital a short time later, police said. The driver of the Prius, Farhan Zahid, 32, of Bay Shore, was an Uber driver, and three passengers, Michael O. Farrell, 20, James P. Farrell, 25, and Ryan J. Kiess, 25, all from Manhassett, died at the scene, police said. A fourth passenger, Brianna M. Maglio, 22, of Garden City, remains hospitalized at Peconic Bay Medical Center in critical condition, police said.

Investigators believe excessive speed may have been a factor in the crash, police said.

Kiess said his son Ryan had been friends with brothers James and Michael since elementary school in Manhasset.

"They lived 200 yards apart; they took the school bus together and were sports teammates, playing lacrosse," he said. His son played lacrosse in high school and college, he said.
"There was a big group of them, the Manhasset High School Class of 2014. The boys were very close, they were always together," he said.

The young men, he said, were all "very caring, not edgy in any sense of the word. They were the first to help you. They just loved music, they loved their friends." And, he said, they enjoyed playing golf together at the North Hempstead Country Club. "They were buddies," Kiess said. "They were the best of friends."

His son met Brianna at the University of Scranton; they both played lacrosse and had been dating for six years, Kiess said. "They were a fantastic couple," he said. Brianna is a neonatal intensive care unit nurse at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, he said.

Saturday night was meant to be a celebration, Kiess told Patch. He and his wife just bought a home in Remsenburg.

"It was our first party. My son was so proud of that house. All of his friends were in the cottage, playing games and dancing," he said. "They helped clean up and then they called an Uber to go dancing. He walked into the living room and got into the car— and that was the last time I saw my son," Kiess said. "You see these things on the news and you say, 'That's somebody else' — and then it becomes your family."

The young people called an Uber to be safe, he said. "They were doing the right thing."

His son and his friends, Kiess said, "were all good kids." His son was an accountant at KPMG and had just been promoted. "They were all at the start of their careers, it was unlimited — they had their whole lives in front of them."

Through tears, Kiess said: "Our hearts are broken forever. Our lives will never be the same. We love our son — and we always will."

According to Quogue Village Police, the crash took place at 11:19 p.m. near the intersection of Montauk Highway and Quogue Street (East). A red Nissan Maxima, driven by Mendez, who was alone in the vehicle, was heading west on Montauk Highway when it left its lane of travel and crashed head-on with the Prius with Zahid and his four passengers that was traveling east on Montauk Highway, police said.

"Our thoughts are with the families of Mr. Zahid and the four others who lost their lives in this heartbreaking crash, and we hope the survivor makes a full recovery," an Uber spokesperson told Patch.

Zahid started using the app to drive almost two years ago, Uber said.

A GoFundMe page, "GoFundMe for Our Beloved Justin Mendez," has also been created for the driver of the Nissan by Amanda Tuason. "With the sudden loss of our beloved nephew Justin, son of Aida and Octavio Perez, we are fundraising to help cover the costs of the funeral expenses and services to help the family," she wrote.

The crash is being investigated by Quogue Village Police detectives with the help of New York State Police, Southampton Town Police, and Westhampton Beach Police, authorities said.
Montauk Highway initially remained closed from Old Depot Road in Quogue to Quogue Street (East) while the investigation was underway but was reopened Sunday morning, police said.
Anyone with information on the crash is asked to contact the Quogue Village Police Department at 631-653-4791.