One Dead when Amish Buggy Collides with Jeep in Upstate New York

Deadly Crash Involved an Amish Buggy

A tragic crash involving a Jeep and an Amish buggy sadly took the life of an Upstate New York woman when she and her one-year-old were ejected from the impact.

According to the New York State Police, the incident happened on October 28th at about 4:15 p.m. on Butler Road in Newport, New York. Newport is located about 90 minutes northwest of Albany, midway between Little Falls and Rome.

Jeep crashed into an Amish buggy in Upstate New York. Photo: NYPS

Police say that a 2017 Jeep Renegade operated by Andrew Bienkowski, age 36, from Newport, NY, was traveling east on Butler Road in Newport when it struck the rear portion of the Amish Buggy traveling in the same direction.

Two Were Ejected from the Buggy

Sadly, two occupants were ejected from the Amish buggy; one was Rebecca Swartzentruber, age 31, from Newport, and the other was one-year-old Mattie Swartzentruber.

Butler Road, Newport, New York Photo: Google Maps

Rebecca Swartzentruber was pronounced deceased at the scene. Mattie Swartzentruber was transported to Wynn Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, sources say.

Bienkowski, the vehicle's operator, was not injured in the crash, and the NYSP says the investigation is continuing.

How Prevalent are the Amish in Upstate New York?

Sources say there were 32 states in the United States with an Amish population in 2024, each consisting of at least one Amish settlement of Old or New Order Amish. The Amish population in the U.S. is 390,000 and growing rapidly. New York State has the fifth-most Amish, behind Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, with roughly 25,000 residents.

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LOOK! Abandoned Orange County Chopper HQs in Newburgh-TLC's 'American Chopper'

WARNING: Under no circumstances should you enter this property. By doing so you risk bodily harm and/or prosecution for trespassing on private property.

In 2003, a father-son business reality show hit the Discovery Channel. It was called American Chopper and it followed the custom motorcycle-building business of the Teutul family out of Newburgh, NY. Paul Sr. owned the shop with sons Paul Jr. and Mikey working in the business. There was a slew of cast and characters. The center of the show wasn't just the amazing custom motorcycles built for celebrities and others, it was the volatile relationship between Sr. and Jr. The show ran for 12 seasons before the two could no longer get along. It ended up in lawsuits and the two not talking for ten-plus years. In the past few years, the business moved to Florida. This left the 61,000-square-foot headquarters for sale and abandoned. Take a look at what remained of Orange County Choppers.

See The Capital Region's 10 Best Cider Donuts [RANKED]

As we enjoy the last fleeting moments of summer, there is a silver lining to the end of the season. We will soon replace summer concerts with all of our favorite Upstate New York autumn activities like pumpkin picking, leaf peeping, and indulging in our season favorite - CIDER DONUTS! We have a LONG list of great cider donut spots, but to determine the best of the best we once again went to our listeners to determine which ones to visit this year. So Who serves the best cider donuts in the Capital Region? Here are the top 10 for autumn according to you - with 3 new spots on this year's list!

Gallery Credit: Matty Jeff