Top stories of 2018: Greenport man charged in fatal crash

A Suffolk County grand jury indicted a Greenport man for his role in an alleged drunken driving crash that led to the death of a Queens woman earlier this year.

Suffolk County assistant district attorney said Glenn Zaleski, 36, had a blood alcohol content of 0.21 percent when he crashed into a minivan, killing one and injuring six others.

Mr. Zaleski was driving a 2016 Dodge pickup eastbound on Route 48 near Chapel Lane in Greenport when he crossed over into westbound traffic and struck a minivan with seven occupants, according to police. He was charged with felony driving while intoxicated and suffered only minor injuries in the crash, police said.

He admitted to police that he drank six beers before the 8:30 a.m. crash, according to the assistant district attorney.

Witnesses said Mr. Zaleski swerved to the right of the road and over-corrected, crossing the double yellow line at “a high rate of speed” into the minivan. The force of the collision pushed the minivan off the road, the assistant district attorney stated.

The driver of the van, You Feng Yang, 51, of Flushing was pronounced dead two hours later at Stony Brook University Hospital. Two passengers in the van were also airlifted to Stony Brook for treatment of serious injuries. The other four passengers, all adults from Flushing, were treated at local hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries, according to police.

Mr. Zaleski was originally charged with DWI, but was arraigned in December on upgraded charges. The 30-count indictment includes a top charge of aggravated vehicular homicide, a Class B felony that carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in jail. The indictment includes another two dozen felony charges, records show.