A former Riverhead resident who fled to Poland after being indicted in a fatal 2022 drunken driving crash in Cutchogue has been extradited back to the United States to face prosecution, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney said Tuesday.
Adam Chrzanowski, 45, was arraigned March 23 on a new indictment charging him with first-degree bail jumping after authorities say he left the country in March 2024 while the original case was pending.
Prosecutors allege Chrzanowski was driving a 2021 Toyota RAV4 eastbound on Route 25 in Cutchogue on March 6, 2022, when he crossed the double yellow line while attempting to pass another vehicle and crashed head-on into a westbound 2019 Nissan Rogue.
Elizabeth Post, 60, of Massapequa, who was a passenger in the Nissan, suffered severe internal injuries and fractures in the crash and died Sept. 12, 2022, according to the district attorney’s office.
The driver of the Nissan suffered multiple fractures to his spine, clavicle, sternum, ribs and leg, prosecutors said. Two other vehicles also went off the roadway and spun out of control as a result of the collision.
Chrzanowski was previously arraigned on Dec. 21, 2022 on an indictment charging him with three counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, one count of second-degree manslaughter, one count of second-degree vehicular manslaughter, five counts of aggravated vehicular assault, two counts of second-degree assault, one count of aggravated driving while intoxicated, two counts of driving while intoxicated and one count of reckless driving.
Authorities said he boarded a flight from JFK Airport to Poland on March 10, 2024. A bench warrant was issued March 25, 2024 after he failed to appear in court, and he was later indicted on the bail jumping charge.
County Court Judge Bryan Browns ordered Chrzanowski held without bail pending his next court appearance on April 8, according to the district attorney’s office.
He faces 8 ⅓ to 25 years in prison if convicted on the top count in the original indictment, and an additional two and one-third to seven years if convicted on the separate bail jumping indictment, prosecutors said.
Chrzanowski is represented by attorney Christopher Gioe, according to the district attorney’s office.
Editor’s note: Criminal charges are accusations. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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