Police: Drunk Driver Struck, Killed Cyclist on County Road 39
The driver of a 1990 Jeep that fatally struck a bicyclist crossing County Road 39 in Southampton on Friday was drunk behind the wheel, according to Southampton Town police.
Jesse Werner Steudte, 21, of Southampton, is charged with driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor. Authorities said 29-year-old Neil S. Fyfe, of Jupiter, Florida, was in a crosswalk on his bicycle crossing the highway from the north side to the south side, near the Sandy Hollow Road intersection. Steudte, driving eastbound, hit Fyfe at about 6:28 p.m., according to police.
Civilians performed CPR on Fyfe before Southampton Volunteer Ambulance transported him to Southampton Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. Steudte was treated for minor injuries before being arrested.
Southampton Town police, New York State Police Department Forensic ID & Collision Reconstruction Unit, the Suffolk County district attorney’s office and both the Southampton and North Sea fire departments responded to the scene as well.
A stretch of County Road 39 was closed for a time while investigators were on the scene.
Detectives ask anyone who may have information about the crash to call 631-702-2230.