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Joshua "Josh" B. Castellano

Age : 35

Gender : Male

Race : Latino/a/e

Date : 09/17/2021

Location : Spring Mountain Rd & S Decatur Blvd

City : Spring Valley

County : Clark

State : Nevada

Agency : New Haven Police Department

Officer(s) :Officer Robert Ferraro

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Off-duty police officer driver killed in DUI crash caused by another off-duty police officer

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 09/17/2021, 35-year-old New Haven Police Officer Joshua Castellano was killed in Las Vegas when fellow New Haven Police Officer Robert Ferraro crashed a rented 2020 Rolls-Royce Cullinan while driving under the influence. The officers were off duty and vacationing in Las Vegas. Ferraro was later criminally convicted for causing Castellano's death.
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The crash occurred shortly before 4 a.m. at West Spring Mountain Road and South Decatur Boulevard. Ferraro was driving the Rolls-Royce with Castellano and four other passengers. Castellano was seated in the front passenger seat.
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Las Vegas Metropolitan Police investigators determined that Ferraro drove through the intersection at high speed, lost control and struck a Ford Mustang before the Rolls-Royce continued off the roadway, striking palm trees, a light pole, curb and fire hydrant and overturning.
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No one inside the Rolls-Royce was wearing a seat belt. Castellano was ejected as the SUV overturned. He was transported to University Medical Center, where he died from his injuries. Other people in the Rolls-Royce suffered injuries.
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Police observed signs that Ferraro was impaired. He refused to perform field sobriety tests. Investigators subsequently obtained a search warrant and had Ferraro's blood drawn at the Clark County Detention Center.
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Ferraro was arrested and initially charged with DUI resulting in death and reckless driving. New Haven Police placed him on administrative leave while the Nevada criminal case proceeded.
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The criminal case ultimately established that Castellano's death was caused by Ferraro's impaired driving. On 06/20/2023, Ferraro pleaded guilty in Clark County District Court to DUI resulting in death.
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The consequences within the New Haven Police Department were considerably delayed. Ferraro remained employed while the Nevada criminal prosecution was pending. New Haven eventually initiated termination proceedings, but Ferraro resigned in 2023 before the department could fire him. Police Chief Karl Jacobson subsequently said the department was also pursuing Ferraro's decertification as a police officer.
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On 01/09/2024, Clark County District Court Judge Susan Johnson sentenced Ferraro to two to five years in Nevada state prison for DUI resulting in death.
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This case is unusual within the database because Castellano was himself a police officer and his death did not occur during an enforcement encounter. However, it was an unnatural death directly caused by the criminal conduct of another police officer. Ferraro was an active New Haven officer at the time of the crash and was subsequently convicted of causing Castellano's death.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND
Robert Ferraro was the New Haven Police officer driving the Rolls-Royce that killed Castellano. This is not a case in which later reporting merely alleged misconduct by an unidentified officer: Ferraro ultimately pleaded guilty to DUI resulting in death and received a two-to-five-year prison sentence.
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New Haven Police placed Ferraro on administrative leave after his arrest. The department later began proceedings to terminate him, but Ferraro resigned before his firing could be completed. Chief Karl Jacobson said in November 2023 that the department was moving to have Ferraro decertified.
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The broader New Haven Police Department subsequently faced an unrelated but major civil-rights scandal involving Richard “Randy” Cox. In June 2022, Cox was left paralyzed from the chest down after being thrown headfirst into the partition of a police transport van that lacked seat belts. Cox repeatedly told officers he could not move, but officers were accused of failing to provide appropriate assistance and mishandling him after arrival at the police station.
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Five New Haven officers were criminally charged in connection with their treatment of Cox. Four were fired following the department's internal investigation, while another retired during the investigation. New Haven ultimately agreed to a $45 million civil settlement with Cox in 2023, one of the largest police-misconduct settlements in the country at the time.
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The Cox incident occurred after Castellano's death and was wholly unrelated to the Las Vegas crash, but it became a significant later accountability crisis within the same department and resulted in disciplinary action, criminal cases, policy reforms and an extraordinarily large civil settlement.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/new-haven-police-officer-arrested-in-las-vegas-after-crash-that-killed-another-officer/2593322/
https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-new-haven-officer-crash-death-20210920-wslld3jifvfi5lbptalut2hmiq-story.html
https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/New-Haven-police-officer-Joshua-Castellano-killed-16472437.php
https://www.wfsb.com/2021/09/20/community-mourns-new-haven-police-officer-killed-las-vegas-crash/
https://www.fox61.com/article/news/local/new-haven-officer-killed-las-vegas-crash-police-charges/520-0041876b-d8d0-4e8d-8603-fc7fd53a6a6e
https://www.reviewjournal.com/crime/courts/connecticut-officer-pleads-guilty-to-dui-charge-in-fatal-2021-crash-2797851/
https://www.fox5vegas.com/2024/01/10/connecticut-police-officer-serve-at-least-2-years-deadly-las-vegas-dui-crash/
https://www.ctinsider.com/news/article/new-haven-cop-las-vegas-fatal-crash-quit-18492006.php
https://www.newhavenct.gov/Home/Components/News/News/120/334