Police Expect No Further Charges In Fatal Accident

By Andrew Gorosko

Police said this week they do not expect to press additional charges in connection with a fatal high-speed accident on South Main Street in March, in which a 29-year-old man was killed after he drove off the wet road and struck two trees.

Police had been investigating whether the accident may have involved racing, road rage, or other circumstances, but now say they do not have evidence to substantiate such scenarios.

Police have said motorist John Giogios, 29, of 365 Exeter Street, Bridgeport, was driving a white 1989 Ford Mustang northbound on South Main Street, just south of its northerly intersection with Pecks Lane, about 2:45 am on March 31 at a very high rate of speed, when he failed to negotiate a slight curve on the wet road and went off the southbound road shoulder, striking two trees, near 138 South Main Street. As the automobile disintegrated from the impact of the crash, Giogios was thrown from the vehicle and apparently died instantly, police have said. The bulk of the destroyed auto continued onward, coming to rest in the northbound lane of South Main Street.

Following the accident, police charged a witness to the crash with interfering with police. Police charged John T. Pirretti, 23, of 13 Falls Road, Brookfield, in the matter. That charge against Pirretti is pending in Danbury Superior Court.

Pirretti was driving a black Volkswagen Corrado at a very high speed northbound at some uncertain distance behind the Ford when the Ford crashed, police have said. The Volkswagen was damaged when it struck portions of the disintegrated Ford, which were strewn across South Main Street.

Police took a statement about the accident from Pirretti which later proved to be untrue, resulting in the charge of interfering with police, according to police.

Detective Sergeant Henry Stormer said Tuesday that police do not expect to lodge any additional charges against Pirretti in connection with the accident.

It appears that Giogios and Pirretti were driving at excessive speeds when the accident occurred, Sgt Stormer said. There is no evidence of road rage, or that the two men were racing, or that they knew each other, the sergeant said. Sgt Stormer termed the incident “a tragic accident.”

“We’re awaiting the final report from our accident reconstruction team,” he said. The results of toxicology tests in the case are expected soon, he said.

It is fortunate that Pirretti’s vehicle received only minor damage in the accident, the sergeant said.

Sgt Stormer said it is unclear exactly how fast the vehicles were moving when the accident occurred. The speed limit in that area is 45 miles per hour.

After the March 31 accident, Monroe police said that two Monroe police officers in separate patrol cars saw vehicles similar to those driven by Giogios and Pirretti traveling at high speeds northbound on Route 25 through Monroe at about 2:30 am March 31. The Monroe officers spotted the cars on Route 25 near its intersection with Route 59. Route 25 becomes known as South Main Street when it enters Newtown.

Monroe police later went to the Newtown accident scene to confirm that the autos involved in the accident were the ones that they had seen speeding in Monroe.