On August 23rd, the Occhiogrosso family lost two sons to drunk driving. Brothers Joseph Occhiogrosso, 28, and Thomas Occhiogrosso, 27, left their grandmothers’ home in East Meadow, NY early in the evening for a night on the town, leaving their car at home and going on foot. However, they never arrived home.
As Joseph and Thomas were crossing the street on Hempstead Turnpike at 4:15 am, James Farr, 33, struck them with his black 2005 BMW. Farr has been charged with two counts of second-degree manslaughter and one count of drunken driving.
Thomas was pronounced dead at the scene, and Joseph was pronounced dead about an hour and a half later at Nassau University Medical Center, police said. Officer Michael Toich said the investigation is continuing.
Kyran Conneloi choked up with emotion as he described the way old Joseph cared for his grandmother at her East Meadow home on Long Island. Occhiogrosso worked for Conneloi at his plumbing company for several years, and Conneloi considered him part of his family.
Neighbor Maryann Paturzo said Joseph Occhiogrosso was a "remarkable young man" who moved in with his grandmother, who uses a wheelchair, to take care of her. "He did everything for her," she said. "The whole neighborhood is just devastated."
