Guilty Plea In Crash That Killed Yaphank Man

CORAM, NY — A Coram man caught with a gun and drugs after a Medford car crash that left a Yaphank man dead pleaded guilty to manslaughter on Tuesday and is now facing up to 15 years in prison, Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy D. Sini’s office said Tuesday.

Malcolm Stewart, 29, also pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Sini’s office said Stewart is expected to be sentenced to 15 years in prison and five years of post-release supervision at his sentencing on Aug. 3.

Stewart was driving a 2014 Mercedes-Benz northbound on County Road 101 in Medford at “a high rate of speed,” when he ran a red light and struck a 2021 Chevrolet that was making a left turn onto Station Road back in January, Sini’s office said.

Fifty-six-year-old Yaphank resident James Palumbo, the driver of the Chevrolet, was transported to Long Island Community Hospital in East Patchogue where he was pronounced dead.

Police later found Stewart in possession of a loaded .45-caliber handgun, as well as cocaine, a combination of heroin and fentanyl, and Oxycodone after the crash, Sini’s office said.

Sini said Stewart had been driving recklessly through the area, hitting speeds of up to 94 mph “immediately prior to the crash.”

“Not only did his actions result in a senseless tragedy, but he was also in possession of a loaded firearm and a significant quantity of drugs, including a mixture of heroin and fentanyl,” he said, adding, “Today’s plea holds him accountable for these crimes and serves justice for the victim and his loved ones.”