Suffolk County Police on the morning of Wednesday, April 5 arrested a man for aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle following a fatal crash in Brentwood.
Brandon Gillespie was at the wheel of a 2012 Jeep Liberty stopped in the right lane of eastbound Long Island Expressway, east of Sagtikos Parkway, when the vehicle was rear-ended by a 2016 Ford box truck at approximately 12:45 a.m.
Gillespie, 36, of Smithtown was pronounced dead at the scene by a physician assistant from the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner. The driver of the Ford, Taron Smith, was not injured.
Smith, 31, of Patchogue was arrested and charged with Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle 3rd Degree. He was also issued multiple summonses for Federal Motor Carrier Safety violations.
He will be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip a later date.
Both vehicles were impounded for safety checks. Anyone with information on this crash is asked to call the Third Squad at 631-854-8352.