Community Corner

State Police: Mineola Woman Killed in Motorcycle Accident Upstate

25-year old Melissa Rupa reportedly killed in accident on NY State Thruway.

A Mineola woman was reportedly killed in upstate Orange County Sunday, according to reports from the New York State Police.

Melissa Rupa, 25, was reportedly on her way to visit her family with friend Rafaelito DeJesus, 23, of Valley Stream, when they were struck from behind by a vehicle around 1:10 a.m. near exit 16 on the New York State Thruway.

According to police, the two were thrown from the motorcycle and were pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the vehicle reportedly fled the scene and was later arrested by Woodbury police  after the Orange County medical examiner, who had just come back from the crash scene, noticed a vehicle driving erratically and called police according to a Newsday report.

The driver, whose identity has not been released, is reportedly from Monroe and will presumably face DWI charges as well as leaving the scene of a fatal accident.

Get Mineola news on Facebook


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here