WI Man Killed in Wantagh Parkway Crash

A West Islip man and his passenger were killed early Saturday Morning on the Wantagh Parkway when his vehicle veered off the road and collided with a tree, New York State Police said.

According to police, Ilario Scuteri, 49, of West Islip, was driving his Kia Sephia northbound on the Wantagh Parkway in Levittown around 5 a.m. when his vehicle was sideswiped by a 2003 Ford Windstar driven by Oscar E. Ramirez-Lopez.

Police said the contact caused Scuteri to swerve off the road and crash into a tree, fatally injuring himself and passenger Daniel J. Gambardella, 46, of North Babylon.  Ramirez-Lopez, 29, of Brentwood, was  arrested and charged with first-degree vehicular manslaughter, DWI and driving without a license.  

Preliminary police investigations said that Scuteri's Kia was travelling in the right lane and Ramirez-Lopez's vehicle swiped him from the left lane.  After the collision, Ramirez-Lopez's Windstar hit the median twice before it ended in the center of the parkway, police said.  He was treated for minor injuries at Nassau University Medical Center.

Police are urging witnesses of the accident or anyone with information contact investigator Sean Michael Pagano at (516) 561-8492.  All calls will be kept confidential.

This is breaking news and we'll provide more information as it comes in.