36-Year-Old Dies In LIE Crash Involving Driver With Suspended License, Police Say

A 36-year-old man was killed in a crash on the Long Island Expressway involving a driver with a suspended license, authorities said.

A 36-year-old Smithtown man was killed in a crash involving another driver with a suspended license on the Long Island Expressway near Sagtikos Parkway early Wednesday, April 5.
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Michael Mashburn

04/05/2023 12:45 p.m.

The incident happened at around 12:45 a.m. Wednesday, April 5, in Brentwood, on I-495 near Sagtikos Parkway, according to Suffolk County Police.

Investigators said 36-year-old Brandon Gillespie, of Smithtown, had stopped his 2012 Jeep Liberty in the right eastbound lane of the LIE when he was rear-ended by a box truck.

Gillespie was pronounced dead at the scene by the Suffolk County Medical Examiner's office, police said.

The driver of the truck, 31-year-old Taron Smith, of Patchogue, was not injured. According to police, his license was suspended at the time of the crash.

Smith was arrested for third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. He was also issued multiple summonses for Federal Motor Carrier Safety violations.

Smith will be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip at a later date.

Suffolk County Police are asking anyone who may have witnessed the crash to contact the agency at 631-854-8352.

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