A Bronx man is facing child endangerment charges in connection with the Aug. 7 accident on Route 25 in Calverton that injured nine people, Riverhead Town Police said in a press release.
Photo: Riverhead Police
Joshua A. Burns of the Bronx was the driver of a 2014 Jeep Wrangler that collided with a Dodge Charger at the entrance to Splish Splash Water Park that afternoon.
Burns was carrying seven passengers in the Wrangler, including three children who were not in required car seats or wearing seat belts, police said.
Burns had driven from the Bronx with an 11-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy seated in the rear cargo area of the Wrangler, police said. Both children were ejected from the vehicle in the crash and then struck by Jeep, police said on Aug. 7. They were airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital and are recovering from non-life-threatening injuries, according to a police press release issued late Wednesday night.
A 10-month-old boy was seated on the lap of an adult at the time of the accident, police said in the press release.
Police said Burns caused the accident when, traveling westbound on Route 25, he attempted to turn onto Splish Splash Drive in front of the eastbound Dodge.
Burns turned himself in at Riverhead Town Police headquarters yesterday, where he was processed on three counts of endangering the welfare of a child, according to the report. He is scheduled to appear in Riverhead Town Justice Court next month, police said. Endangering the welfare of a child is a class A misdemeanor under N.Y. State Penal Law.
Editor’s note: A criminal charge is an accusation. By law, a person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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