A New Haven police officer has been sentenced to a couple of years in prison in connection to a crash in Las Vegas that killed another officer in September 2021.
Officer Robert Ferraro has been sentenced to two to five years, and there's a possibility he could get out early, according to his attorney.
In June, Ferraro plead guilty in a Clark County, Nevada, court to one count of driving under the influence resulting in death.
According to Las Vegas investigators, witnesses in the area saw a 2020 Rolls-Royce speeding down a Las Vegas street before it crashed into another car, utility poles and a fire hydrant around 4 a.m. Police added that the car also flipped over several times after that.
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Authorities said due to the impact, New Haven officer Joshua Castellano, 35, was ejected from the car and was given life-saving measures at the scene. He was then taken to the hospital, but later died from his injuries.
Castellano was a seven-year veteran and was hired in July of 2014. The police department said when he was in the police academy, everyone knew he had something that wasn't teachable.
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Before his death, Castellano was assigned to the shooting task force. Before that, he was in the Hill District and before that, the Westville district, according to police.
Ferraro's attorney told NBC Connecticut that Ferraro has felt the guilt and everything else that goes with losing a partner in the department, and losing a best friend.
The attorney said Ferraro and Castellano went to the police academy together.
Castellano was the passenger in a car with three other New Haven officers, including Ferraro, who was driving, officials said. Two women from San Antonio, Texas were also in the car, according to the accident report from the Las Vegas Police Department.
Ferraro was placed on paid administrative leave following the incident. Police told NBC Connecticut that he resigned on July 13, 2023 before he could be terminated.
The other passengers in the car and the driver of another car involved suffered minor injuries, police said.
