FDNY Firefighter From Babylon Charged With DWI In Fatal Crash

BABYLON, NY — An FDNY firefighter from Babylon indicted Wednesday for allegedly driving drunk in a fatal wrong-way crash on the Sunken Meadow Parkway in November, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy Sini.

Joseph Norris, 38, was charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, first-degree vehicular manslaughter, second-degree manslaughter, second-degree vehicular manslaughter, aggravated DWI, two counts of DWI, reckless driving, and second-degree reckless endangerment, the DA said. Norris has worked at the FDNY since 2006.

On Nov. 20, Norris was driving a 2008 Chevrolet Colorado southbound in the northbound lane of the parkway near exit SM3A in Smithtown when he struck a 2007 Mazda CX7 SUV, killing the driver 44-year-old Anthony Mariano, of Kings Park, according to the DA.

Norris was taken to South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore with serious physical injuries, the DA said. A chemical test of his blood after the crash revealed he had a blood alcohol content of 0.29 percent, according to Sini.

Norris was arraigned in front of Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Stephen Braslow and bail was set at $100,000 cash or $200,000 bond. He is due back in court on April 15.

"This was a senseless tragedy caused by someone who was sworn to protect the safety of others," Sini said. "His blood alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit when he made the decision to get behind the wheel of a car – a decision that proved to have fatal, devastating consequences. There is no excuse for it. My Office will seek to hold him accountable and obtain justice for the victim."

If convicted of the top count, Norris faces a maximum sentence of eight to 25 years in prison.