Police charged an MTA driver after a fatal Staten Island crash.
Knowledge of Music Helpful
Police said MTA driver Darrell Sweet turned left from Forest Hill Road onto Platinum Avenue and struck pedestrian Patrick Varriale; the city recorded one pedestrian killed there at 4:39 a.m. on May 13, 2022.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Police said Sweet was driving a SIM10 bus east on Forest Hill Road when he turned left onto Platinum Avenue and struck Varriale as he crossed. Court documents later alleged Sweet knew what had happened and left without reporting it; an earlier account said he told police he did not realize he had struck Varriale.
Sweet turned onto Platinum Avenue.
Police told the Daily News that Sweet was driving east on Forest Hill Road when he turned left onto Platinum Avenue and struck Varriale as he crossed the intersection. The official record lists Varriale as crossing with the signal and records one pedestrian killed at Platinum Avenue at 4:39 a.m. on May 13, 2022.
Published accounts differ on the time: the Daily News reported about 4:35 a.m., the official record gives 4:39 a.m., and Streetsblog's account of this crash says 4:40 p.m. The Post initially described the man as believed to be in his 50s, while the official record and later Daily News report give his age as 69.
The Daily News reported Varriale died at the scene; NY1 reported that EMS pronounced him dead there.
The official record identifies a 2015 Prevost bus.
The official record describes a 2015 Prevost bus traveling north and making a left turn. The Daily News identified Sweet as the driver of a SIM10 bus. The Post reported that police initially could not confirm MTA bus involvement; later, an MTA spokesman confirmed a SIM10-line bus was involved at the same location and time.
Varriale worked to support musicians.
NY1 identified Varriale as director of the electronic media services division of the American Federation of Musicians of the US and Canada. Union president Ray Hair said Varriale was on his way to work and praised his efforts: “He has been phenomenal in how he has worked to improve the lives of musicians throughout the US and Canada.”
The Daily News described Varriale as a longtime employee of the union and reported that he was survived by his wife, son and two grandchildren.
Police arrested Sweet after an investigation.
The Daily News reported that police arrested Sweet, 52, after a three-week investigation and charged him with driving away after the fatal incident. He was released without bail after his arraignment in Staten Island Criminal Court.
NY1 reported that Sweet told police he did not realize he had struck Varriale. The later Daily News report said court documents alleged Sweet knew what had happened and left without stopping or reporting it. The newspaper quoted Sweet telling police, “I should have stopped.”
The Daily News reported that the MTA removed Sweet from duty without pay pending a predisciplinary suspension. MTA sources told the newspaper that the bus's functioning front-facing cameras were turned over to police.
Where
PLATINUM AVENUE