MTA Bus Driver Charged After Fatal Staten Island Crash
Police said MTA driver Darrell Sweet left the scene after hitting Patrick Varriale, 69, in a left-turn bus crash that the city record says killed a pedestrian on Platinum Avenue.
What We Know
Patrick Varriale, 69, was killed early on May 13, 2022, on Platinum Avenue in Staten Island. The city crash record says the bus driver was making a left turn, and the Daily News reported that police said MTA driver Darrell Sweet turned left from Forest Hill Road onto Platinum Avenue and hit Varriale. Police later charged Sweet with leaving the scene. Sources describe the crossing location differently: the Daily News, citing police, said Varriale was crossing the intersection, while the city record describes him as a pedestrian crossing with the signal away from an intersection.
A left turn before dawn
The city crash record says the crash happened at 4:39 a.m. on May 13, 2022, on Platinum Avenue. It records one pedestrian killed and describes the bus driver as making a left turn.
The Daily News reported that police said MTA driver Darrell Sweet was driving a SIM10 bus east on Forest Hill Road, turned left onto Platinum Avenue, and hit Patrick Varriale. Varriale died at the scene.
Platinum Avenue in Staten Island
The official record places the fatal crash on Platinum Avenue. The Daily News reported that police described the turn as from Forest Hill Road onto Platinum Avenue, and said Varriale lived about a quarter mile away.
The sources differ on the precise crossing context: the Daily News, citing police, said Varriale was crossing the intersection, while the city record says he was crossing with the signal away from an intersection.
Patrick Varriale and Darrell Sweet
Police identified the pedestrian as Patrick Varriale, 69. The Daily News reported that he was survived by his wife, son, and two grandchildren, and that he was a longtime employee of the American Federation of Musicians in Midtown.
The Daily News identified the driver as Darrell Sweet, 52, an MTA bus driver and 15-year MTA veteran.
Leaving-scene charge after a three-week probe
The Daily News reported that police arrested Sweet after a three-week investigation and charged him with driving away after the fatal incident. Court papers quoted in the article said Sweet told police, “I should have stopped.”
The article reported that Sweet was released without bail after arraignment in Staten Island Criminal Court. MTA officials said he was removed from duty without pay pending a predisciplinary suspension, and that the agency cooperated with the NYPD investigation.