A former New York City firefighter from Babylon admitted to driving drunk for 3.5 miles in the wrong direction on Sunken Meadow Parkway in 2020 before crashing into a car driven by a Queens teacher, killing him instantly, at an emotionally charged plea hearing in Riverhead on Tuesday.
Joseph Norris, 40, who lost both legs in the crash, pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide, second-degree manslaughter and aggravated driving while intoxicated in the crash that killed Anthony Mariano, 44, social studies teacher at Benjamin N. Cardozo High School. in Bayside.
Acting State Supreme Court Justice Stephen Braslow is expected to sentence him to between 5 and 15 years in prison at his next court appearance on July 19.
“This tragic event claimed the life of a beloved Suffolk County school teacher,” Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said in a statement. “We realize and are saddened by the fact that no sentence here can return Mr. Mariano to his family and students.”
Norris, who was supported by family members and more than a dozen FDNY firefighters, entered a tense courtroom, with Mariano’s friends and family holding signs outside showing his face of the man he killed in the accident.
“You are a murderer; you killed him,” a woman yelled as she jumped in front of Norris’ wheelchair as it moved down the hall.
Court officers had to keep the two sides apart before, during and after the proceedings and warned that any outbursts in the courtroom would be stopped. One row of seats was kept empty as a buffer between the two sides.
“If he was going to plead guilty he should have been a man and did it when he got out of hospital instead of putting his parents, family and friends through this,” said the girlfriend and partner of Mariano for 10 years, Christie Azzolini.
He said that 5 to 15 years in prison is not enough for causing death.
“Penalties for drunk driving must be increased,” Azzolini said. “And Long Island weather, you wake up every day to a drunk driving accident.”
Norris’ attorney, Anthony La Pinta, previously said his client, who had been assigned to Ladder 107 in Brooklyn, was honored for his heroic actions during the 2007 Deutsche Bank fire that killed two firefighters and wounded 114. His wife was seven months pregnant. at the time of the accident.
“This is a horrible tragedy … two grieving families whose hearts are broken and in pieces,” La Pinta said after Tuesday’s hearing. “We hope this is the first step in the healing process.”
La Pinta described the early sentence as fair and said his client “has taken full responsibility for his actions.”
“He will literally suffer the consequences of his evil deeds every day of his life,” La Pinta said.
Norris admitted in court Tuesday that he had been drinking between 2 and 7 p.m. at Blush, an adult entertainment club in Commack, on the day of the crash. His blood-alcohol level was 0.29 percent, more than three times the legal limit of 0.08 percent, prosecutors said.
“[Did] Does Anthony Mariano die as a result of his injuries in the accident you caused? asked Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Raymond Varuolo.
“Yes,” Norris replied.
Christie Azzolini, Anthony Mariano’s girlfriend, in Riverhead court Tuesday where Norris pleaded guilty to the crash that killed Mariano. Credit: Randee Daddona
The accident occurred at 7:30 p.m. on November 20, 2020, when, after driving 3½ miles in the wrong direction, Norris collided at 62 mph with the 2007 Mazda CX-7 SUV driven by Mariano, who he was going to pick up dinner for his family. prosecutors said at the time. Other drivers had to “take evasive action to avoid” Norris’ truck, Varuolo said in court Tuesday.
Prosecutors said beer cans and a bottle of whiskey were found in Norris’ 2008 Chevrolet Colorado after the crash.
An FDNY firefighter since 2006, Norris was suspended with pay after his arrest in 2020. He retired in May 2022, an FDNY spokesman said.
Norris will remain free on bail until his sentencing on July 19.
Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County and federal courts for Newsday. A native of Long Island, he joined Newsday in 2022.
