FDNY firefighter, 38, who lost both legs in crash which killed a teacher, 44, leaves court in a wheelchair after posting $100,000 bail for 'driving the wrong way down Long Island highway while drunk'
An FDNY firefighter who allegedly drove down the wrong side of a Long Island highway while drunk last November and caused an accident which killed a teacher was charged with vehicular homicide on Wednesday.
Firefighter Joseph Norris, who lost his legs in the crash, was pictured leaving the court in a wheelchair with his pregnant wife after he was arraigned in Suffolk County Supreme Court and released on $100,000 bond.
Norris, who was previously only charged with a DWI, had left a Smithtown strip club on November 20, in his 2008 Chevrolet Colorado.
He allegedly drove more than three miles on the wrong side of the road before his car struck Anthony Mariano's 2007 Mazda CX7 SUV, according to prosecutors and court records.
Teacher Mariano, 44, was picking up pizza for his fiance when he was killed.
Firefighter Joseph Norris was pictured leaving the Suffolk County Supreme Court in a wheelchair with his pregnant wife
Prosecutors said Norris had a blood alcohol content of .29 before causing the Sunken Meadow State Parkway crash
Anthony Mariano, 44, was picking up pizza for fiance Christie Azzolini, 41, when he was killed after his car was allegedly hit by Norris. She was in the court room with Mariano's family and friends during Norris' arraignment
Prosecutors said Norris had a blood alcohol content of .29 before causing the Sunken Meadow State Parkway crash. His blood was taken and tested at South Shore University Hospital immediately after the crash.
The limit in New York state is 0.08.
Norris, 38, pleaded not guilty to the vehicular homicide charge, for which he faces up to 25 years in prison, and eight other counts - including vehicular manslaughter.
He was also charged with second degree manslaughter, second degree vehicular manslaughter, aggravated driving while intoxicated, two counts of DWI, reckless driving, and second degree reckless endangerment.
He is due back in court April 15.
Mariano's fiance she was in the court room with his family and friends during Norris' arraignment, News 12 reported.
Christie Azzolini, 41, said the two were supposed to be married last July but the wedding was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
'We love him and miss him and think of him every day – and finally, [Norris has] been charged, the man that killed him,' she said, according to News 12.
Norris, 38, pleaded not guilty to the vehicular homicide charge and was released on $100,000 bail
Norris, a firefighter for 14 years, lost both of his legs after the Long Island accident in 2020
FDNY Firefighter, Joseph Norris, 38, is pictured in court in Riverhead, New York, for his arraignment
In November, Azzolini told the New York Daily News she was not surprised that Norris was allegedly drunk during the crash.
'When you're driving the wrong way on the parkway — I don't think we're too surprised by this. It seems like this happens far too often in New York, people getting on the road the wrong way,' she told the outlet.
The FDNY suspended the 14-year veteran firefighter without pay, for the maximum time allowed of 28 days, following the wreck, WNBC reported.
Norris' attorney Anthony La Pinta called him a 'really terrific family guy' and a 'hero fireman' while his family and fellow firefighters packed the courtroom to support him.
Norris' his family and fellow firefighters packed Suffolk County Supreme Court to support him
Norris, who was placed on paid leave after the accident, faces up to 25 years in prison for the vehicular homicide charge
Sign outside Riverhead Court honor Anthony Mariano, a high school teacher who was killed in a deadly car accident
'[He] received accolades for his work at the Deutsche Bank fire back in 2007, and yet this is another motor vehicle tragedy that has befallen two good people and devastated two families,' La Pinta said.
Mariano taught social studies for 17 years at Benjamin N. Cardozo High School in Bayside, Queens, and was hailed as a cautious driver and selfless teacher by his relatives.
'He wasn't telling them what to do. He was instilling the knowledge that allowed them to become the people they needed to be. That's how he led his life. It wasn't about him,' his twin brother, Matthew Mariano, told the Daily News.
According to his obituary, Mariano was an 'avid New York Yankees and Islander fan' and was 'adored by his Fur Babies Jemma, Blackie and Mr. Man.'
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