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Last weekend’s devastating car crash in West Babylon has claimed a third life.
Bella Trezza, 17, of Babylon, who had been on life support since the accident, died at Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip, police confirmed. Trezza, who had just started her senior at St. John the Baptist, sustained severe injuries in the crash, including brain trauma, the loss of her spleen and many fractures.
Her high school expressed its grief in a Facebook post, stating, “In this time of grief, let us hold onto the promise of Christ’s Resurrection and find comfort in our shared faith. The SJB Community remembers Bella as a bright ray of sunshine, and continues to pray for her brother, Austin, Bella’s family, and all those affected by the accident through this difficult time.”
Trezza’s 18-year-old brother Austin, a volunteer firefighter, remains hospitalized at Good Samaritan with serious injuries, undergoing multiple surgeries as part of his long road to recovery. The Trezza family, well-known and beloved in their community, has been receiving an outpouring of support as they have held vigil at their children’s hospital bedsides.
The crash occurred just after 1 a.m. on Saturday when Bella Trezza, driving a 2025 Kia Seltos with Austin and three friends as passengers, was struck by a 2017 Kia sedan that allegedly ran a red light at the intersection of Railroad Avenue and Great East Neck Road, Suffolk County police said. Michael Desmond, 33, of Lindenhurst, who was driving the sedan, died at the scene.
Riley Goot, 18, a close friend of the Trezza siblings and a passenger in their car, was also killed in the crash. Two other passengers, Jack Murphy, 18, of Babylon, and Anthony Pagliuca, 16, of West Babylon, remain hospitalized with serious injuries.
Nearly 3,000 donors have given to a GoFundMe campaign set up for the Trezza family to help with mounting medical expenses and rehabilitation costs. The campaign highlights the siblings’ deep ties to the community — Bella Trezza held aspirations of becoming a nurse, while her brother, a 2024 graduate of West Babylon High School, has served in the West Babylon Volunteer Fire Department since 2023.
In wake of the tragic accident, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine launched a study into the potential dangers at the intersection of Railroad Avenue and Great East Neck Road.
Top photo: St. John the Baptist High School (Facebook).
