What Happened
Two drivers died after a head-on crash on state Route 28 in Shokan, Ulster County, at about 6:47 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026, state police said. Peter Bonenfant, 19, of Smithtown, Suffolk County, was driving west near 3558 Route 28 when his 2024 Chevrolet crossed into the eastbound lane. The car struck a 2021 Mercedes-Benz driven by Philip Jacobus, 72, of New York City. The reason Bonenfant’s vehicle crossed the center line has not been determined, according to state police.
Olive Fire Department crews began extricating both drivers immediately upon arrival, according to The Overlook, which first reported the fatalities. Olive Fire Chief Chris Winne said in a Facebook post that both men were out of their vehicles within 19 minutes of the first arriving apparatus. Winne said a second Olive First Aid ambulance, a Woodstock paramedic unit, and a City of Kingston paramedic unit were requested to assist with medical treatment and transport.
Olive First Aid transported both men to HealthAlliance Hospital in Kingston. Bonenfant died there, state police said. Jacobus was subsequently transferred to MidHudson Regional Hospital in Poughkeepsie, where he died. The Overlook reported that DOTmed, Jacobus’s company, confirmed his death on Monday, Aug. 24.
Jacobus founded DOTmed in 1998, building it into an online marketplace for buying and selling medical equipment. He also published HealthCare Business News. According to his LinkedIn profile and a short biography published by HealthCare Business News, Jacobus worked in the medical equipment industry for more than 40 years and conducted business in more than 30 countries.
State Route 28 closed at the crash site and remained shut for five hours, reopening at 11:45 a.m. Sunday, Winne said. Responding agencies included New York State Police, the Olive Fire Department, Olive First Aid, the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office, the Olive Police Department, and the New York State Department of Environmental Protection.
Location & Road Context
The crash site sits on state Route 28 near the address 3558 Route 28 in Shokan, a hamlet in the Town of Olive, Ulster County. Route 28 is a two-lane state highway that runs through the Catskills, carrying commuter and recreational traffic between Kingston and the western Ulster and Delaware County towns. The five-hour closure Sunday morning affected the full stretch at that location until the 11:45 a.m. reopening.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
New York State Police are leading the investigation into why Bonenfant’s westbound Chevrolet crossed into the eastbound lane. No cause has been determined and no charges had been filed as of the time of reporting, according to The Overlook. The Ulster County Sheriff’s Office, the Olive Police Department, and the New York State Department of Environmental Protection assisted at the scene and in the inquiry.