Peconic brewery reopens tasting room after out-of-control SUV destroys stage
Dramatic photos from the harrowing wreck at Greenport Harbor Brewing Company in Peconic show splintered stage framing, exposed wiring and a broken section of the stage bearing the brewery logo.
Co-owner Rich Vandenburgh gave The Suffolk Times an exclusive tour Tuesday morning as workers began dismantling what remained of the indoor stage after an SUV smashed through a garage door Monday night.
“The music venue will definitely be closed for a little while,” Mr. Vandenburgh said. “We’re not going to be having anybody perform on the stage for a while, but we’re still open regularly for business with the tasting room.”
A few customers were inside the adjacent tasting room when the SUV struck, but none were hurt. The brewery reopened at noon, even as cleanup continued next door.
Southold Town’s building department said the brewery could continue operating as long as the damaged portion of the building remained out of use.
The brewery’s holiday market — scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 28 — will also go ahead, though without performers onstage, Mr. Vandenburgh said.
The stage was built a year and a half ago, and Mr. Vandenburgh said a replacement may not be a replica of the original. He also plans to install a glass entrance facing the parking lot.
“We’re going to adjust the layout a little bit, and we’re going to look at the room, knowing how it functions as an event space, and be able to change some things for the better,” he said.
There was no cost estimate from the damage.
Mr. Vandenburgh said he “hopes there is enough insurance coverage” for the repairs.
“I really don’t know how much, but fortunately, there was no really expensive brewing equipment in the way,” he said. “But we lost some electrical equipment, and all the stuff relative to the stage.”
Jarod Tramontana, 30, of Greenport, was driving a 2026 Toyota Highlander west on Main Road when he swerved to avoid another vehicle that had crossed into his lane, he told Southold police after the crash.
The SUV left the roadway, struck the support wires of a PSEG utility pole and continued through the brewery parking lot before entering through an overhead door and stopping inside the building, according to police.
Describing the garage door facing the parking lot, Mr. Vandenburgh said Monday night that the SUV “smashed that to smithereens, drove straight into our stage, and destroyed our whole entire stage.”
“When he hit that stage, it exploded, and everything went out the other garage door on the other side of the building and destroyed that garage door,” he said.
The SUV had to be removed with a forklift, Mr. Vandenburgh said.
Southold police and firefighters responded to the brewery, at 42155 Route 25, around 6 p.m. Mr. Tramontana was taken by the Southold Fire Department to a waiting Suffolk County police helicopter and airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital.
Chief Steven Grattan told The Suffolk Times on Monday that his injuries were not considered life-threatening. There was no update on Mr. Tramontana’s condition Tuesday.
No charges have been filed.
The town fire marshal and building inspector also responded. Police said the investigation remains ongoing.
