Teen falls into open cesspool, dies

A teen working at a Long Island Dunkin' Donuts dies after he falls into an open cesspool.


The Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad is investigating the death of a Central Islip teen who was killed on Sunday, Feb. 28, in a work related accident.

Amiri Zeqiri, 17, of Milford Drive, Central Islip, an employee at Dunkin Donuts, 560 Nesconset Highway in Smithtown, was putting out the garbage behind the store at about 9:11 pm. He fell into an open cesspool which was normally covered with a manhole cover. His 14-year-old cousin who was inside the Dunkin Donuts realized that something was wrong and went to investigate. He found Zeqiri in the cesspool in about eight feet of water. He realized that he couldn't help Zeqiri by himself and ran to a nearby store for help. Upon his return, Zeqiri was no longer visible and the police were called.

Suffolk County Police Emergency Services officers extricated Zeqiri from the cesspool. He was taken to St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown where he was pronounced dead at 10:10 pm.

A postmortem examination will be performed to determine the cause of death. The investigation is continuing.