Bethpage crash victims ID'd: Vincent Cavaliere, of Bethpage, Nicholas Rivera, of Queens, and Gino Vicale, of Seaford

Two 20-year-olds who graduated from Plainedge High School and a third person from Queens were identified by the Nassau County Police Department on Tuesday as the victims of a fatal weekend crash of an SUV near Bethpage State Park.   

Vincent Cavaliere, of Bethpage, Nicholas Rivera, of Glendale, Queens, also 20, and Gino Vicale, of Seaford, were killed when the 2022 Dodge Durango struck a tree at the edge of the park and caught fire about 1 a.m. Sunday on Stymus Avenue near Plainview Road, according to a department news release.

The three victims were pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

The police have yet to provide further information about the circumstances of the crash.

Cavaliere and Vicale both graduated from Plainedge High. Cavaliere was a standout on the Plainedge High football team — "the captain of all captains," said his coach, Rob Shaver.

He continued in college as a defensive back on the football team at Assumption University in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he was a sophomore.

"Vincent was a student athlete who exemplified what is best about Assumption students," said university president Greg Weiner in a letter to the Assumption community. "… This semester, he earned a place on our Dean’s List. His faculty have shared that Vincent was an excellent student. One noted that 'I just last week was telling him how it was a pleasure to get to know him.' "

Weiner said a wake will be held for Cavaliere from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Thomas F. Dalton Funeral Home in Levittown. A funeral Mass will be held at 9:45 a.m. Friday, at Maria Regina Roman Catholic Church in Seaford.

Visitation for Vicale is scheduled from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday and from 9 to 10 a.m. Tuesday at Fredrick J. Chapey & Sons Funeral Home in Bethpage, according to the funeral home's website. A funeral service is set for 10 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.

Information about services for Rivera was not available late Tuesday.

Relatives of the victims were not available for comment.

Shaver said Cavaliere was his son Travis’ best friend and like a family member.

He's had his share of outstanding football players in his 31 years at the helm of one of Long Island’s winningest programs, Shaver said.

"Vinny Cavaliere will always be one of the very best," the coach said.

It was common, Shaver told Newsday, for Cavaliere to come over for dinner and hang out with Travis in the hot tub.

"He was the nicest, soft-spoken kid," Shaver said. "He and Travis hung out everywhere. Vinny was the captain of all captains of the football team. He commanded respect and honor and was a true leader. I called him at least twice a week to talk about football. He was a part of my family."

Shaver, who led Plainedge to Long Island Class III championships in 2019 and 2021, said Cavaliere and his brother and teammate, Joseph, enjoyed winning together.

Two years later, Shaver remembered putting Vincent Cavaliere in at quarterback in the Wildcat formation against Wantagh in the 2023 Nassau Conference III final.

"He was a ridiculous athlete and one of the more athletic kids we coached," Shaver said. "He was so smooth."