After Year-Long Investigation, Man Arrested Following Flanders Crash That Left 2 With Extensive Injuries: PD

FLANDERS, NY — A Riverhead man was arrested after a year-long investigation into a two-car crash in Flanders that left two with extensive injuries, police said.

According to Southampton Town police, on Friday, March 7 at 11 p.m., authorities responded to a two-car motor vehicle crash on Oak Avenue near Albany Street in Flanders. Two occupants of one vehicle had sustained extensive injuries, and the driver of the second vehicle attempted to flee, police said.

On Thursday, after a year-long detailed investigation, Southampton Town detectives and the Southampton Town community response unit, with the assistance of the Suffolk County Police Department’s fugitive unit, the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force, and Riverhead Town police, arrested Santiago Barreto-Gomez, 20, the driver of the second vehicle, police said.

He was charged with numerous crimes, including five felonies and seven misdemeanors, police said.

Barreto-Gomez was charged with second-degree aggravated vehicular assault; second-degree assault; first-degree vehicular assault; second-degree vehicular assault; multiple counts of driving while intoxicated; third-degree assault; leaving the scene of a crash resulting in serious injury; leaving the scene of a personal injury crash; reckless driving, and violations of the vehicle and traffic law, police said.

He was transported to Southampton Town police headquarters for processing pending arraignment in Suffolk County First District Court, police said.