A former Riverhead resident who fled to Poland after being indicted in a fatal drunken driving crash in Cutchogue pleaded guilty Wednesday to aggravated vehicular homicide and related charges, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced.
Adam Chrzanowski, 45, a Polish national, admitted he was driving while intoxicated when he caused a four-car crash on Route 25 on March 6, 2022, that killed Elizabeth Post, 60, of Massapequa, prosecutors said.
Chrzanowski pleaded guilty Sept. 9 before County Court Judge Bryan Browns to three counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, second-degree manslaughter, two counts of second-degree assault, aggravated driving while intoxicated and reckless driving, according to the district attorney’s office.
He is expected to be sentenced to five to 15 years in prison when he returns to court Dec. 16, prosecutors said.
“Today, this defendant admitted guilt in causing the death of Elizabeth Post and then fleeing to Poland in an attempt to evade justice,” Tierney said in the Sept. 9 press release. “Thanks to our strong partnership with our federal and international law enforcement partners, the defendant was located, extradited and held accountable. This was a tragic and preventable loss of life caused by reckless, impaired driving. Our thoughts are with the victims during this difficult time.”
According to prosecutors, Chrzanowski was driving a 2021 Toyota RAV4 eastbound on Route 25 in Cutchogue at about 6:04 p.m. when he crossed the double yellow line to pass a car ahead of him. Prosecutors said he saw a westbound 2019 Nissan Rogue approaching, swerved back into his lane and struck the car he had tried to pass, causing a chain-reaction collision with another vehicle.
Chrzanowski then swerved again and crashed head-on into the Nissan Rogue, prosecutors said. Post was the front-seat passenger in the Nissan.
Post suffered severe internal injuries and fractures and underwent several surgeries before dying from her injuries on Sept. 12, 2022, six months after the crash, 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. The two other vehicles spun out of control as a result of the collision.
Chrzanowski was arrested after the crash and refused to submit to a chemical breath test requested by police, prosecutors said. He was taken to a hospital, where a blood sample showed his blood alcohol concentration was 0.28%, more than three times the legal limit, according to the district attorney’s office.
Chrzanowski was arraigned in December 2022 on an indictment charging him with aggravated vehicular homicide and other offenses. While the case was pending, he boarded a flight from JFK Airport to Poland on March 10, 2024, prosecutors said. A bench warrant was issued after he failed to appear in court.
He was extradited to Suffolk County in March 2026 and arraigned on a new indictment charging him with first-degree bail jumping.
Chrzanowski is represented by Christopher Gioe, according to the district attorney’s office.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Ray Varuolo and Jeffrey Rosenheck of the Vehicular Crime Bureau and Assistant District Attorney Grazia DiVincenzo of the Appeals and Training Bureau. The investigation was conducted by Southold Police Detective Roman Wilinski. Prosecutors said the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force assisted with the extradition.
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