New York State Police have identified a 74-year-old Fort Salonga man who died in the first of two fatal crashes at the Sunken Meadow State Park toll plaza in September. Police determined that his death was a suicide.
Police identified the man as Vijay P. Cheema, who died in a fiery crash on Sept. 14 at the northern end of the Sunken Meadow State Parkway in Smithtown.
Troopers from SP Brentwood responded to the crash at approximately 11:14 a.m. after a vehicle struck the toll booth area at the entrance to Sunken Meadow State Park and became engulfed in flames.
Investigators found one person dead inside the vehicle. The extensive damage caused by the crash and fire initially prevented authorities from identifying the victim or determining the vehicle’s make and model.
In an update to the original investigation, State Police identified Cheema and said investigators determined that he died by suicide. Police did not provide additional details about how that determination was made.
The Sept. 14 crash was the first of two fatal crashes at the same toll plaza within one week. A second fatal crash occurred at the location on Sept. 21, also involving a vehicle that caught fire.
The latest State Police findings apply specifically to the Sept. 14 crash involving Cheema, not the second crash on Sept. 21.
Members of the New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation responded to the original scene, with assistance from the New York State Park Police, Smithtown Fire Department and Suffolk County Police Department.
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