SELDEN MAN PLEADS GUILTY IN DEADLY DWI CRASH

(SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y.) – Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Anthony Milano, 31, of Selden, pleaded guilty to Aggravated Vehicular Homicide, for speeding and driving while intoxicated which led to a crash that killed his rear passenger.

“This defendant’s decision to drink and then drive killed one person and seriously injured another,” said District Attorney Tierney. “I urge everyone to drive safely and call a cab or schedule a car service if you have consumed any alcohol.”

According to court documents and the defendant’s admissions during his guilty plea allocution, on August 15, 2022, at approximately 2:14 a.m., Milano was driving at a high rate of speed on Clearview Avenue in Selden when he lost control of his vehicle causing him to crash into a parked car, and then a tree. Milano’s rear passenger, Paige Swiecicki, 30, of Selden, was killed due to injuries sustained from the crash. Milano’s front passenger, Scott Johnson, 30, of Selden, sustained serious physical injuries and was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital.

During the initial investigation, Milano made admissions to drinking alcohol prior to driving, and consented to a blood test which revealed his blood alcohol concentration was .09%. Prosecutors later obtained a warrant for Milano’s blood that was taken upon his admission to Stony Brook University Hospital, which revealed his blood alcohol concentration was .11%. Additionally, an analysis of Milano’s vehicle’s black box revealed he was driving 78 miles per hour seconds before the crash.

On September 8, 2023, Milano pleaded guilty before County Court Judge, the Honorable Stephen L. Braslow, to Aggravated Vehicular Homicide, a Class B felony, Manslaughter in the Second Degree, a Class C felony and Driving While Intoxicated, an unclassified misdemeanor.

He is due back in court for sentencing on December 7, 2023, and he is being represented by Edward Palermo, Esq. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney James Scahill of the Vehicular Crime Bureau, with investigative assistance from Suffolk County Police Department Detective Bill Berhalter of the Major Case Unit.

###

Criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusatory instruments.

Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No one is above the law.

725 Veterans Memorial Highway ● Building 77 ● Hauppauge, NY 11788 ● 631.852.3185

SuffolkCountyNY.gov/DA ● twitter.com/RayTierneyDA ● instagram.com/RayTierneyDA