Oceanside Man Gets 6 Months, 5 Years Probation for Drunk Driving Crash That Injured 17-Year-old High School Girl

Passanisi pleaded guilty to drunk driving and vehicular assault

MINEOLA, NY – Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced today that Salvatore Passanisi has been sentenced by a Nassau County judge to six months in jail, and five years probation with strict alcohol restrictions, for his role in a September 2007 car crash that seriously injured a then 17-year-old Oceanside girl.

Passanisi, 36, of Oceanside, pleaded guilty to Vehicular Assault in the Second Degree and Driving While Intoxicated on June 18.

Rice said that on September 8, 2007, Passanisi was driving his 2003 Dodge Dakota northbound on Oceanside Road when he collided with Nicolette Iacone’s 2007 Toyota as she pulled onto Oceanside Road from Erwin Place. Iacone was a senior at Oceanside High School at the time, and suffered a fractured skull and traumatic brain injuries.

“This is a tragedy for the Iacone family and the Oceanside community as a whole,” Rice said. “We were prepared to take this case to trial when Mr. Passanisi took responsibility for his actions.”

Assistant District Attorneys Robert Schalk, of the DA’s County Court Bureau, and Matthew Lampert, of the DA’s Vehicular Crimes Bureau, are handling the case for the District Attorney’s Office. Passanisi is being represented by Gregory Grizolpolous, Esq.