Hamptons Developer Dies in Crash; Son of Top LI Developer Cited

Police on Friday confirmed that Gregg Saunders, the , died in a on Thursday.

The multi-car crash also involved a member of the Rechler family, who developed many of the high-powered office buildings that line the Farmingdale and Melville hub along Route 110. 

Saunders, a part-time Sagaponack resident, was 55 years old.

said the Benjamin Rechler, 19, of Brookville, was reaching into the back seat to adjust a surfboard that had become loose inside his Audi station wagon when he crossed into the oncoming eastbound lane, striking Saunders' Prius.

Rechler has been charged with crossing the pavement markings and failure to keep right, Chief Jerry Larsen said on Friday. "There was no drugs, no texting," he said, adding that no further charges are expected.

Rechler is the son of Mitchell Rechler, a managing partner of Rechler Equity Partners, one of Long Island's top development firms, a spokesman confirmed on Friday.

Mitchell Rechler, along with his cousin Gregg Rechler, are well-known on the East End for high profile projects such as the restoration of and a business and technology park . The Rechlers also are responsible for building the Hauppauge Industrial Park and the numerous office buildings along the Route 110 corridor from Melville to Farmingdale.

"Our family is heartbroken by this horrific tragedy.  Our thoughts and prayers are with the Saunders family," Mitchell Rechler said in a statement released on Friday.

Rechler was treated and released from on Thursday. A 17-year-old passenger from Brookville was also treated and released.

Saunders was pronounced dead at Southampton Hospital, where the Amagansett Fire Department ambulance had transported him.

A third vehicle driven by Robert Pyrt, 46, of Seaford was traveling west and stopped suddenly to avoid the collision, and a fourth vehicle, driven by Lindsay Murphy, 19, of Montauk, struck it from behind, police said. Neither of those drivers, as well as a passenger in the fourth vehicle, were injured.

A funeral service for Saunders will be held on Friday at the Star of David Memorial Chapel in Babylon at 2 p.m. Burial will follow at Mt. Ararat Cemetery, Route 109 & Wellwood Avenue, in Farmingdale.

In lieu of flowers, his family has requested donations be made in his memory to the . 

Saunders, a partner in Phillips International, bought the old Plitt Ford property at 338 Montauk Highway in 2010, with the plan of tearing down the old garage and building a 17,000-square-foot retail building. He hoped to attract gourmet food markets like Trader Joes or Whole Foods, as he owns several shopping centers where those types of stores are located elsewhere in New York.