Troop F State Police Major Pierce Gallagher discusses the accident
while a photo of the wrecked
car is displayed on a screen. (Photo: Anthony Lucarelli)
SHANDAKEN – Two Long Island men, members of the New York City Police
Department, died late Sunday night when the rented Maserati they were
in ran off Oliveria Road in the Town of Shandaken, struck a tree and overturned.
One of the two victims, Michael Colangelo, 31, of Huntington Station,
had just gotten married earlier in the day to his long-time sweetheart,
Katherine Berger ant the Full Moon Resort in Big Indian.
State Police said the one-car crash, which occurred at 11:23 p.m. also
claimed the life of John Martinez, 39, of Hauppauge.
Police Officer Martinez was a 16-year veteran of the NYPD and was stationed
in Brooklyn. Colangelo was a 10-year veteran of the force and was an Emergency
Services Unit K-9 off
The wrecked Maserati
Troop F State Police Commander Major Pierce Gallagher said while it was
originally thought that Martinez was driving the 2018 car, it will not
be known until an autopsy is conducted.
As for a cause of the crash, Gallagher said they have a pretty good idea.
“It was a violent impact, obviously; there was rollover involved
so, yes, the speed was probably excessive for that roadway. It’s
a 40-mile-an-hour county roadway. It’s narrow; it has some curves
to it, so feel comfortable to say the speed was excessive,” he said.
A third person in the car was transported to Albany Medical Center with
non life-threatening injuries. He was not a police officer.
Gallagher said investigators will await toxicology results before making
any further determinations as to the cause of the fatal crash.
State Police were assisted at the scene by Town of Shandaken Police, the
Ulster County Sheriff’s Office, New York City Department of Environmental
Protection Police, fire departments from Big Indian, Pine Hill, Oliveria
and Phoenicia and Shandaken EMS.
