Thread: Killed | M. Ferazzi, A. Mazza, D. Oakes, A. Perry, D. Pereira, J. Carr, E. Corr

Pickup truck driver arrested following New Hampshire highway collision that left 7 motorcyclists dead

https://www.foxnews.com/us/pickup-tr...rcyclists-dead

By Greg Norman Fox News

Published June 24, 2019 12:23pm EDT

• Man charged in deadly New Hampshire highway crash had run-ins with the law in Texas

A pickup truck driver charged in a highway collision that left 7 motorcyclists dead in New Hampshire had a previous crash and arrest record in Texas; Molly Line has the details.

The driver said to be behind the wheel of a pickup truck that collided with seven bikers in New Hampshire on Friday – killing all of them – has been arrested at his home Monday in Massachusetts.

Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, 23, is now facing seven counts of negligent homicide after being taken into custody this morning in West Springfield, the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office announced. He is expected to make his first court appearance this afternoon.

The crash unfolded at around 6:30 p.m. Friday on U.S. 2, a two-lane highway that passes through the small town just north of Mount Washington. Witnesses described a "devastating" scene as bystanders tried to help the injured amid shattered motorcycles.


This photo provided by Miranda Thompson shows the scene where several motorcycles and a pickup truck collided on a rural, two-lane highway Friday, in Randolph, N.H. (AP/Miranda Thompson)

The victims in the crash have been identified as Michael Ferazzi, 62, of Contoocook, N.H.; Albert Mazza, 49, of Lee, N.H.; Desma Oakes, 42, of Concord, N.H.; Aaron Perry, 45, of Farmington, N.H.; Daniel Pereira, 58, of Riverside, R.I.; and Joanne and Edward Corr, both 58, a husband and wife from Lakeville, Mass. All were members or supporters of the Marine JarHeads, a motorcycle club made up of Marines and their spouses.

Soon after the names were made public, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu ordered all flags on public buildings and grounds in the state to be flown at half-staff from dawn to dusk Monday.


The victims of Friday's crash. Top row, left to right: Michael Ferazzi, Albert Mazza, Daniel Pereira. Bottom row, left to right: Joanne and Edward Corr, Desma Oakes, Aaron Perry. (New Hampshire Office of the Attorney General)

"Friday’s tragic accident in Randolph has struck our state and our citizens in a profound way," Sununu said in a statement.

Zhukovskyy was questioned at the scene of the crash and allowed to return to Massachusetts, the National Transportation Safety Board has said. He was arrested Monday morning on a fugitive from justice charge related to Friday's crash, which is standard for someone charged in a warrant in another state, Massachusetts State Police said.

A man who answered the phone at the home of Zhukovskyy's family and would identify himself only as his brother-in-law told the Associated Press Monday that the family is in shock and feeling the same pain as everyone else but couldn't say whether the driver was right or wrong.

Since the accident, the brother-in-law said, Zhukovskyy had remained in his room, not eaten and talked to no one.


Fox News’ Sam Chamberlain and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

ICE puts detainer request on Ukrainian charged in deadly NH biker crash

https://www.foxnews.com/us/ice-puts-...nh-biker-crash

By Louis Casiano Fox News

Published June 25, 2019 4:28pm EDT | Updated June 25, 2019 9:49pm EDT

• Man charged in deadly New Hampshire highway crash had run-ins with the law in Texas

A pickup truck driver charged in a highway collision that left 7 motorcyclists dead in New Hampshire had a previous crash and arrest record in Texas; Molly Line has the details.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has filed a detainer request against a 23-year-old Massachusetts man with a history of traffic arrests who is accused of killing seven motorcyclists in a fiery collision in New Hampshire last week.

The request means Volodymyr Zhukovskyy could face deportation back to his native Ukraine whenever he is released from custody. Zhukovskyy's attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf to seven counts of negligent homicide Tuesday in Coos County Court in Lancaster, N.H.

A judge also ordered Zhukovskyy remanded in custody, saying his driving record poses a danger to the public and himself. The wreak has led to the resignation of the head of the motor vehicle division for Massachusetts.

The crash unfolded around 6:30 p.m. Friday on U.S. 2, a two-lane highway that passes through the small town of Randolph just north of Mount Washington.

MOTORCYCLISTS KILLED IN NEW HAMPSHIRE CRASH IDENTIFIED, INCLUDING MARRIED COUPLE


Volodymyr Zhukovskyy during his arraignment in Springfield, Mass. Monday. (Don Treeger/The Republican via AP, Pool)

Zhukovskyy was driving a Dodge pickup truck that was towing a flatbed trailer. Investigators said he was driving erratically when he crossed into the center lane and collided with several bikers.

The victims were members or supporters of the New England motorcycle club, Marine JarHeads, which is comprised of Marine veterans and their spouses. Club president Manny Ribeiro said he remembers an "explosion" and seeing most of the bikers behind him being wiped out from the trailer of the truck.

Zhukovskyy was driving for Springfield, Mass.-based Westfield Transport at the time of the crash.

Witnesses described a "devastating" scene as bystanders tried to help the injured amid shattered motorcycles.

Investigators questioned Zhukovskyy at the scene and let him go. He was taken into custody Monday at his West Springfield, Mass., home on a fugitive from justice charge related to Friday's collision. He was handed over to New Hampshire authorities after a court appearance that day.

Zukovsky's father, who goes by the same name, told the Boston Herald on Monday that his son had just been granted a green card.


Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, after he was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol in East Windsor, Conn. this past May. (East Windsor Police Department via AP)

“I’m sorry for the families,” he told the paper.

The Associated Press reported ICE also was requesting details on the younger Zhukovskyy's 2017 heroin and cocaine convictions.

Zhukovskyy had a series of traffic-related infractions. Last month, he was arrested in a Walmart parking lot in East Windsor, Conn., after failing a sobriety test. Prosecutors said officers responded to complaints about a man revving up his engine and jumping up and down outside a vehicle.

He also was arrested in 2013 on a drunken driving charge in Massachusetts. He was placed on probation for one year and had his license suspended for 210 days.

Erin Deveney, the head of the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV), resigned Tuesday over its failure to terminate Zhukovskyy's commercial driver's license after the Connecticut incident. The RMV was notified of the arrest by the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles.

Stephanie Pollack, the state's transportation secretary, said in a statement that she accepted Deveney's resignation.

“The loss of life in any motor vehicle crash is a terrible tragedy and the massive toll this crash is taking on the families of the seven individuals who lost their lives, many of whom served this country, is impossible to comprehend,” Pollack said. “The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles has a responsibility to enforce the laws governing the safe operation of vehicles and carries out its mission to the best of its abilities.”


Fox News' Bradford Betz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.