LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – A Connecticut police officer will serve at least two years in prison following a deadly DUI crash in Las Vegas that killed a fellow officer.
On January 9, Clark County District Court Judge Susan Johnson sentenced Robert Ferraro, 37, to two to five years in prison on a charge of DUI resulting in death. Ferraro agreed to plead guilty on June 21, 2023.
According to court documents, Las Vegas police received a call reporting a two-vehicle crash on W. Spring Mountain Rd. at S. Decatur Blvd. just before 4 a.m. on September 17, 2021. The caller said that a vehicle struck a building and one occupant of the car was ejected. She added that occupants of the vehicle were performing chest compressions on the person who was ejected.
Police arrived on the scene and made contact with Robert Ferraro, who was the driver of a Rolls-Royce involved in the crash. An officer reported that Ferraro “had watery eyes and a strong odor of an unknown alcoholic beverage emitting from his breath and person.”
Police attempted to administer a field sobriety test but Ferraro reportedly refused. The suspect was arrested, taken into custody and transported to the Clark County Detention Center. Police obtained a search warrant to draw blood from Ferraro.
Investigators at the scene determined that the Rolls-Royce was traveling westbound on W. Spring Mountain when it lost control and crossed over Decatur. Police said that the Rolls-Royce left the road to the right and crashed into a Ford Mustang that was exiting the 4900 block of W. Spring Mountain.
Police said the front of the first car struck the front of the second. The Rolls-Royce then also allegedly struck a utility pole, four palm trees, a light pole and a fire hydrant. The vehicle then rolled onto its roof and righted itself before coming to a stop.
The front right passenger was ejected from the vehicle and was lying on the sidewalk near the fire hydrant’s original location. Police added that a palm tree was displaced from its roots and struck an unoccupied vehicle in a parking lot on the 5000 block of W. Spring Mountain.
The Mustang had a single occupant, who suffered minor injuries. The Rolls-Royce had six occupants. Ferraro identified himself as the driver and was taken to UMC Trauma with minor injuries.
The front right passenger was taken to UMC Trauma but died from injuries sustained in the crash. The other four occupants were also taken to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries.
LVMPD secured a search warrant to obtain the vehicle’s crash data recorder, deployed airbags, papers, personal effects that would establish ownership and occupancy of the vehicle, GPS devices, personal electronic devices including cell phones and a dash camera, and biological samples, prints, and fluids. A red pill was also found on the passenger floorboard.
Investigators also obtained video of the crash from the LVMPD Fusion Watch Center, which confirmed that the Rolls-Royce crossed over Decatur from east to west before the crash. A police report explained that the video showed the vehicle reaching the intersection at a high speed, with its suspension bottoming out, “sending sparks flying from the undercarriage.”
Police secured additional surveillance footage from nearby businesses that showed the Rolls-Royce striking the Mustang before that second car reached the roadway. The Rolls-Royce reportedly went airborne at the center of the intersection before landing and continuing to spin.
Investigators calculated the collision sequence of the suspect’s car was approximately 450 feet. Police said none of the vehicle’s occupants were wearing seatbelts.
On January 9, Ferraro was sentenced to 2-5 years in prison. He was charged with driving under the influence resulting in death and reckless driving, but the lesser charge was dropped as part of his plea agreement.
Ferraro resigned from the New Haven Police Department last year, according to Chief Karl Jacobson. An obituary for the victim killed in the crash said that he was a seven-year veteran of the nearby Branford Police Department.
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