4 women killed in N.Y. wine country when pickup hits limo

Bond was set at $1 million Sunday for a man charged with slamming his pickup truck into a limousine, resulting in the deaths of four women and seriously injuring four others as they celebrated in New York's wine country.

Steven Romeo, 55, of Southold, N.Y., was arraigned at Eastern Long Island Hospital, where he was recuperating, on charges of driving while intoxicated. He pleaded not guilty.

Authorities were still investigating and Romeo could potentially face more serious charges, said Elizabeth Miller, an assistant state's attorney in Suffolk County.

Multiple media reports initially suggested the women were part of a bachelorette party. Robert Clifford, a spokesman for the Suffolk County district attorney, told Paste BN the women hired a limousine to travel to the east end of Long Island and visit a winery, but could not confirm it was a bachelorette party.

Miller told the Suffolk Times her understanding was the celebration was not a "bridal party," though one of the injured women was a bride-to-be.

“There was a group of friends; I don’t believe it was a bridal party, but they were celebrating,” she said. “It was a group of women celebrating an upcoming event.”

Southold Police Chief Martin Flatley called Saturday's accident "one of the worst accidents I've ever seen."

The crash occurred shortly after 5 p.m. along a popular stretch of Long Island's North Folk, which includes several wineries. The group in the limo — which included eight women — had just left Vineyard 48 when the accident occurred.

Flatley said the limo was trying to make a U-turn when it was struck by the truck. He said the pickup driver hit the brakes before broadsiding the limo on the passenger side. Flatley said Romeo ran from the scene and was arrested nearby.

Witnesses described a horrific scene.

"The pickup truck was halfway through the limo," witness Lynne Lulfs told the New York Daily News. "We saw bodies hanging out of the left side of the car. They looked like young girls. It was just arms, and heads and hair."

Three of the victims died at the scene and the fourth died at a nearby hospital, Flatley said. The women killed in the wreck were identified by the Suffolk County district attorney's office as Lauren Baruch, 24, and Brittany Schulman, 23, both of Smithtown, N.Y.; Stephanie Belli, 23, of Kings Park, N.Y.; and Amy Grabbina, 23, of Commack, N.Y.

The four other women as well as the 58-year-old limo driver were transported to area hospitals.

Romeo was expected to appear in court on Friday.