A former Connecticut police officer was sentenced to at least two years in prison for a drunk driving crash that killed one of his colleagues.
Robert Ferraro, 36, pleaded guilty in June to one count of driving under the influence resulting in a death. He faces two to five years behind bars, but his attorney told NBC Connecticut he could be released earlier.
Prosecutors said that Ferraro was driving a rented Rolls Royce in Las Vegas, where he was on vacation in September 2021. He crashed, ramming into another car, a fire hydrant, and utility poles. The vehicle also flipped over several times.
Ferraro’s fellow New Haven police officer, Joshua Castellano, 35, was ejected from the car. He was transported to the hospital, where he died.
Four other passengers in the car, as well as Ferraro, suffered minor injuries.
Officers who interviewed Ferraro at the scene reported he “had watery eyes and a strong odor of an unknown alcoholic beverage emitting from his breath and person,” Fox 5 Vegas reported. Ferraro refused to take a sobriety test and was then taken into custody.
Castellano had been a police officer for seven years, according to his obituary.
“His devotion as a police officer reached beyond the walls of the precinct,” the obituary stated. “He was well known through many communities in New Haven. His classmates from the academy remain a part of his family.”
Ferraro’s attorney told NBC Connecticut that Ferraro and Castellano had attended the police academy together. They were friends, and Ferraro felt guilt about his death, he said.
