Acting Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said that a grand jury, investigating a 2014 street racing crash that left five teenagers dead and two uninvolved adults seriously injured, concluded on Jan. 5 that Manslaughter and Assault charges should be filed in the case.
“Today’s indictment is the result of an event that brought heartbreak to these families, the innocent victims who were injured, and the Farmingdale community since last May,” Acting DA Singas said. “Unfortunately nothing will alleviate the pain or bring back the lives lost in this senseless crash. We owe it to our kids and everyone on our roads to remember that speed and racing kill. As parents, grandparents and teachers we cannot emphasize enough to our kids that when you are old enough to drive a car, you are also old enough to be held responsible for your decisions behind the wheel.”
Cory Gloe, 18, of Farmingdale, was indicted on the following grand jury charges:
- Five counts of Manslaughter in the 2nd Degree (a C felony)
- Two counts of Assault in the 2nd Degree (a D felony)
- Reckless Endangerment in the 2nd Degree (an A misdemeanor)
- Five counts of Criminally Negligent Homicide (an E felony)
- Two counts of Assault in the 3rd Degree (an A misdemeanor)
- Leaving the Scene of an Incident Without Reporting as a Felony (a D felony)
- Reckless Driving (an unclassified misdemeanor)
Nassau County Court Judge Terence Murphy suspended Gloe’s license and set bail at $50,000 cash or bond. Gloe is due back in court on Feb. 11. If convicted of the top charge against him, Gloe faces a maximum of five to 15 years in prison.
It is alleged that just after midnight on May 10, 2014, Farmingdale resident Cory Gloe, then 17 and possessing a full driver’s license, was driving a 2008 Toyota Scion with four passengers in the car. He was leaving the area of the Airport Plaza Mall parking lot on Route 110 in Farmingdale after participating in organized street races on the streets behind the mall. At the intersection of Conklin Street and Route 110, he was stopped at a red light in the lane next to his friend, 17-year-old Tristan Reichle, who was driving a 2001 Nissan Sentra with four passengers.
Gloe challenged Reichle to a race several times. When the traffic signal turned green, the two cars crossed Route 110 and were racing each other westbound on Conklin Street when Reichle lost control, crossed the double yellow lines into oncoming traffic and violently impacted a 2011 GMC Terrain occupied by two adults.
Reichle and his passengers, 18-year-old Jesse Romero, 14-year-old Carly Lonnborg, 15-year-old Noah Francis and 17-year-old Cody Talanian, were killed in the crash. The two adults in the GMC Terrain sustained serious injuries for which they have each undergone multiple surgeries and are still recovering.
Acting DA Singas noted that the Nassau County Police Department increased its traffic enforcement efforts in 2014 including stepped-up patrols and electronic speed signs in the Farmingdale area, increased summonses, and DWI patrols and checkpoints. She also pledged to work with partners to keep fighting street racing.
“We cannot give up on stopping tragedies like this even though the issue is difficult to address,” Acting DA Singas said. “Important steps have been taken, and more will be done in the areas of prevention, disruption, education and legislation. Other jurisdictions for example have had some success using statutes that revoke licenses and impound and even forfeit the vehicles of racers. I am looking forward to working with our partners in law enforcement, the Judiciary and the Nassau County and New York State legislatures to address this dangerous issue so more families will not suffer.”
Assistant District Attorneys Stephanie Dellinger and Christopher Casa of the Vehicular Crimes Bureau are prosecuting the case against Gloe. Gloe is represented by Stephen LaMagna, Esq. of Nassau County.
The charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty.