Man arrested after fatal Whitestone Expressway crash
Fifteen Years
Police arrested James Vennitti after a crash that killed MTA track supervisor David Berney; the crash record places it on the Whitestone Expressway at 6:15 a.m. on Feb. 10, 2024, and reports differ on whether Vennitti was driving.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
An earlier collision left vehicles in the northbound center lanes. 1010 WINS, citing police, reported that Berney and a 27-year-old Toyota passenger were standing behind the Toyota when a Mercedes driver hit the cars and both men. The Daily News gave a different account, saying Berney had returned to his Scion and was thrown onto the pavement; it identified the injured person as the Toyota driver, rather than the passenger reported by 1010 WINS. The Daily News identified Vennitti as the alleged Mercedes driver, while Shore News Network said authorities had not specified his role. The Daily News later reported that Vennitti was arrested and indicted.
The crash happened on the Whitestone Expressway.
The official record places the crash on the Whitestone Expressway at 6:15 a.m. on Feb. 10, 2024. 1010 WINS reported that police responded to the northbound lanes near Linden Place, where an earlier collision had left vehicles in the center lanes.
Berney worked for the MTA.
The Daily News reported that David Berney, 43, was an MTA track supervisor who had worked for the agency for about 15 years. He was raised in Inwood and lived with his family in Jackson Heights, and was driving to work when the crash occurred. 1010 WINS and the Daily News reported that he died at the scene.
News reports differ on who was struck and where Berney was.
1010 WINS reported that Berney's 2012 Scion iQ and a Toyota RAV4 driven by a 28-year-old man had been involved in an earlier collision. Citing police, it said both drivers and the Toyota's 27-year-old passenger were standing behind the Toyota when a Mercedes-Benz SUV driver hit the cars, Berney and the passenger. It reported that the passenger was taken to NewYork-Presbyterian Queens Hospital in stable condition.
The Daily News described a different sequence: it said Berney had returned to his Scion when Vennitti allegedly rear-ended it, throwing Berney onto the pavement. That report identified the injured person as the RAV4 driver, who was knocked down and treated at a hospital. This differs from 1010 WINS' account identifying the Toyota passenger as the injured person.
Official and news descriptions of the vehicles differ.
News reports identify a 2012 Scion iQ sedan, a 2024 Toyota RAV4 SUV and a 2014 Mercedes-Benz SUV. The official record instead lists a 2012 sedan with a Toyota make entry; it classifies the 2024 Toyota and the northbound 2014 vehicle as station wagon/SUV. The record describes the 2012 and 2024 vehicles as parked.
Vennitti's role is described differently in reports.
The Daily News reported that police arrested James Vennitti, 63, in February 2025 and that a grand jury indicted him on charges of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and driving without a license. It said he was released without bail after arraignment in Queens Criminal Court. The Daily News identified Vennitti as the alleged Mercedes driver; Shore News Network also reported his arrest but said authorities had not indicated whether he was the driver or specified his role. Shore News Network described the charge as leaving the scene of an incident without reporting.
The Daily News reported that Berney's sister, Monserrate Berney-Glover, expressed relief at the arrest after 12 months.