BREAKING NEWS: Driver Indicted In Deadly Worker Crash

A Lake Ronkonkoma man has been indicted on aggravated vehicular homicide and other charges after prosecutors say he drove drug-impaired through a red light and plowed into three construction workers in Nesconset, killing one and seriously injuring two others.

Thomas Lobianco, 26, was behind the wheel of a 1999 Toyota Camry on Townline Road at about 6:43 a.m. August 10th when the deadly crash occurred, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney.

Prosecutors allege Lobianco drifted across the roadway before blowing through a red light at Terry Road at high speed, crossing into oncoming lanes and barreling onto a sidewalk without braking.

Surveillance video allegedly captured the Camry slamming into 38-year-old Joel Sican Porix and two other construction workers, all wearing reflective safety vests. Sican Porix was rushed to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The other two workers suffered serious leg injuries requiring emergency surgery.

“Every morning, construction crews step out onto Suffolk County roadways to perform work that every one of us relies on,” Tierney said. “They have every right to expect that they will make it home safely at the end of their shift.”

After striking the workers, Lobianco allegedly hit a traffic device, utility pole and fence before crashing into a tree.

Police said Lobianco showed signs of impairment. Prosecutors said cannabis, clonazepam and drug paraphernalia were recovered from his backpack, while a switchblade was allegedly found inside the car.

Surveillance footage from a 7-Eleven where Lobianco worked overnight allegedly showed him swaying, stumbling, nearly falling and nodding in and out of consciousness before the crash.

Lobianco was arraigned Wednesday and ordered held on $7.5 million cash bail. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted of the top charge.

“My office will pursue this case with the gravity it deserves,” Tierney said.

Lobianco is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.