Community remembers Riverhead e-bike crash victim
John Sammartino, 54, lost control of the bike and crashed while driving in Roanoke Plaza, witnesses said.
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Members of the Riverhead community are mourning a man who died in an e-bike crash Wednesday evening.
Riverhead Town police said officers responded to Roanoke Plaza on Old County Road just after 5:30 p.m., where they found John Sammartino, 54, unconscious and in traumatic arrest, lying behind the Ross store.
"He took off, as he went around the corner behind the store, he lost control as he went around the bend and he just kind of swerved and slammed right into the chain-linked fence," Riverhead resident Christine Spicer said.
Sammartino was taken to Peconic Bay Medical Center, where he died.
"He's been part of my everyday life for 15 years," Spicer said. "Five minutes later he was dead."
Affectionately referred to as "Big John" or "peanut," those who live and work in the plaza said Sammartino was experiencing homelessness and frequented the shopping center for over a decade.
"I just spoke with him yesterday, and I said, 'How are ya?'" Riverhead resident Stephanie Morrison said. "He asked if our friends still work over here at the laundromat. Asked how we were all doing. See how my husband was doing. It's a shame."
Police said Sammartino was not wearing a helmet when he crashed.
"People make mistakes, but that was a costly mistake," Riverhead resident Kenneth Hughs said.
This was the latest serious incident on Long Island involving e-bikes.
Last month, Riverhead began actively enforcing stricter e-bike regulations that the town board approved earlier this summer. The town said it found that the increasing use of e-bikes and e-scooters, particularly by young operators, presents a significant public safety concern for riders, pedestrians and motorists.
The law includes age requirements, mandatory helmet use, speed restrictions and bans on certain classes of e-bikes.
Earlier this year, Suffolk County police said the department was cracking down on e-bikes as well.
Riverhead police is asking anyone who may have witnessed last night's fatal crash to contact the department at 631-727-4500 as part of the ongoing investigation.
