Driver arrested, 2 dead in William Floyd Parkway crash

Ridge, NY (SmithtownRadio.com) – Two teens were killed early Saturday morning when they were ejected from a vehicle on Ridge.

Thomas Smith, 20, of Ridge, was driving a 2011 gray Honda Ridgeline northbound on the William Floyd Parkway when the vehicle struck a tree near Longwood Road, Suffolk police say.

The driver, who was charged for being under the influence of drugs, may have fallen asleep, Newsday reports. Police could not tell the newspaper whether Smith had a prescription for the drugs he is believed to have taken before the group made their way home from Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey.

Two teens – Jacqueline Salvador and Ryan Baumgardner – were ejected from the vehicle at the time of the crash, police say.  Salvador, 19, of Ridge, and Baumgardner, 17, of Rocky Point, were pronounced dead at the scene.

A 17-year-old male passenger was transported by the Ridge Fire Department to Stony Brook University Medical Center for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Smith and a 16-year-old female in the vehicle were not injured.

Smith is scheduled to be arraigned Sunday at First District Court in Central Islip.

The investigating is continuing. Detectives are asking anyone with information on the crash to call the Seventh Squad at 631-852-8752 or call anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls will remain confidential.