11-Year-Old Child Struck and Killed on Bicycle in Sagaponack

An 11-year-old child was struck and killed by a truck while riding his bicycle in the Village of Sagaponack on Thursday evening, according to Southampton Town Police.

Southampton Town Communications Division received a call about the tragic accident at approximately 5:28 p.m. on Thursday, July 7, and several patrol units, along with East Hampton Village Ambulance, Bridgehampton Fire Department and Bridgehampton Volunteer Ambulance responded to render aid to the seriously injured child, police said.

The child, who lived nearby, was transported from the scene to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Southampton Town Detectives, who remained at the scene for hours while they conducted their investigation, preliminarily determined the male driver of a 2022 Ford Ranger pickup truck was backing up from a work site on Town Line Road when he hit the child who was riding his bicycle along the street.

The driver, identified as Jhony Nieto, a 42-year-old East Hampton resident, remained at the scene after the accident and cooperated with the police investigation, which determined that he was not intoxicated and this was just a terrible accident that left all involved shocked and devastated.

“He was very distraught,” Southampton Town Police Captain James Kiernan said on Friday, noting that Nieto was “very cooperative” and passed a breathalyzer that indicated he had no alcohol in his system. In fact, Captain Kiernan said, the driver, who is not being charged with a crime, also offered to submit his blood for testing to prove he was not on drugs either. The results of that blood test have not come back, but Captain Kiernan said, “There’s nothing that makes us suspect that.”

The child’s parents had also responded to the scene.