Privacy update — September 18, 2026: Identifying details have been removed under our victim privacy policy.
Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
A 63-year-old Brentwood man who survived a harrowing head-on collision on December 26 has since died from his injuries, and his family is now demanding that the driver they say was drunk that night be held fully accountable. According to News 12 Long Island, the victim — a National Guard veteran — was fatally injured when his vehicle was struck head-on by a car driven by 59-year-old John Ankelman, of Farmingdale, on Pinelawn Road in Melville. Suffolk County police say Ankelman was driving drunk at the time of the crash.
The collision took place at approximately 10 p.m. on Friday, December 26, at the intersection of Pinelawn Road and Express Drive South in Melville. According to Suffolk County police, as reported by News 12 Long Island, the victim was driving southbound on Pinelawn Road and was in the process of making a left turn onto Express Drive South when the crash occurred. Critically, both drivers reportedly had a green light at the time of impact — the victim heading south attempting his turn, and Ankelman driving north on Pinelawn Road. The two vehicles collided head-on, leaving the victim critically injured.
The victim’s family told News 12 that he had been working as a nighttime security guard and was driving home after his shift when the crash happened. In a cruel twist of circumstance that would delay his identification by days, he had forgotten his wallet before leaving home that evening. Because he had no identification on him, his family was unable to locate him immediately. It was not until days after the December 26 crash that his family were finally able to identify him — in a hospital bed, critically injured. The victim subsequently died from the injuries he sustained in that collision. His death has since been confirmed by Suffolk County police.
The grief and outrage felt by the family has spilled into public calls for accountability. A family member speaking to News 12 made clear that the victim suffered greatly from his injuries and that they expect the driver to face the full consequences of his actions. The family, still absorbing the loss of a National Guard veteran who had dedicated himself to public service both in uniform and in his later civilian career, is now raising money to cover funeral costs.
John Ankelman, 59, of Farmingdale, was charged with driving while intoxicated in connection with the crash. As of the time of News 12’s reporting on January 8, 2026, those charges had not yet been upgraded to reflect the victim’s death — though that question is now squarely before prosecutors. News 12 Long Island reported that it reached out to the Queens District Attorney’s Office to ask whether charges against Ankelman would be elevated now that the victim has died, and was awaiting a response at press time. Suffolk County officials confirmed that the Queens DA is serving as special prosecutor in the case, but have not publicly explained why a Queens office is handling a crash that occurred in Suffolk County.
Location & Road Context
The crash took place at the intersection of Pinelawn Road and Express Drive South in Melville, a busy corridor in western Suffolk County. Pinelawn Road is a major north-south arterial road that connects the Melville and Farmingdale areas, running near the Nassau-Suffolk border and in close proximity to major expressway access points. The Express Drive South intersection, where the victim was attempting his left turn, sits in a stretch of roadway that carries significant traffic volume during evening hours — including commuters and workers returning home from late shifts. The area around Pinelawn Road sees regular traffic from nearby commercial zones and is a well-traveled route for residents of Brentwood, Farmingdale, and surrounding communities.
Brentwood itself — where the victim lived — has seen a troubling string of serious traffic accidents in recent months, underscoring broader road safety concerns across western Suffolk County.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
John Ankelman currently faces a charge of driving while intoxicated stemming from the December 26 collision. Suffolk County officials have confirmed to News 12 that the Queens District Attorney’s Office has been appointed as the special prosecutor in the case, though no explanation has been offered publicly for that unusual jurisdictional arrangement. The involvement of an outside DA’s office may suggest a conflict of interest or other administrative consideration, but authorities have not elaborated.
As of January 8, 2026, the central legal question facing prosecutors is whether Ankelman’s charge will be upgraded to vehicular manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide now that the victim has died. Under New York State law, a DWI charge that results in the death of a victim can be elevated to a class C felony charge of vehicular manslaughter in the second degree — or higher, depending on the circumstances. News 12 reached out to the Queens DA’s office regarding a potential upgrade and had not yet received a response at the time of publication. The victim’s family has made clear they expect Ankelman to face the full weight of the consequences.