Syosset Teacher Killed by Allegedly Impaired Driver

A retired Syosset High School science teacher was killed Tuesday morning in an auto accident apparently caused by an impaired driver.

According to police, at 11:17 a.m. 65-year-old Paul Gordon of Jericho was traveling southbound on Route 107 in Old Brookville in his 2007 Toyota when he was struck head on by a 1996 Nissan Pathfinder SUV. The driver of the SUV, 32-year-old Jeremy Weckerle of 82 Dollard Dr., in North Babylon, was traveling northbound and crossed over into the wrong lane after weaving profusely.

Gordon had to be extricated from his car. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 12:29 p.m. Weckerle, who sustained multiple fractures and internal injuries, was apparently taking prescription drugs.

At bedside Wednesday he was charged with second-degree manslaughter, second-degree vehicular manslaughter, reckless driving, driving while ability impaired, failure to deep to the right lane of a two-lane road and operating an unregistered motor vehicle.