LYNN — A 25-year-old West Newbury man who allegedly caused the December 2021 crash that killed a Lynn man, was released by agreement on home confinement Friday, after a dangerousness hearing in Lynn District Court, according to his attorney.
At the hearing, Brian Petruccelli was found dangerous, and ordered not to leave his home for any reason other than medical or legal appointments and to not have contact with the victim’s family, said Carrie Kimball, a spokeswoman for the office of Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett.
At his arraignment Wednesday, on charges of motor vehicle homicide and manslaughter, according to Kimball, Petrucelli is charged in connection with a Dec. 29, 2021 crash on Paradise Road in Swampscott that killed his passenger, Christopher Mateo, 33, of Lynn.
Petruccelli was driving northbound on Route 1A at approximately 2 a.m. on Dec. 29, when he lost control of his 2005 Honda Accord and crashed into a tree. He also faces charges of operating under the influence, with a blood-alcohol level (BAC) above 0.08, a marked lanes violation, possessing an open container of alcohol in his car, and failing to wear a seatbelt.
Mateo suffered severe head injuries in the crash, and was taken to North Shore Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 2:43 a.m, according to a warrant for Petruccelli’s arrest filed in Lynn District Court.
Petruccelli’s BAC was tested twice by State Police at the scene of the crash, registering at 0.175 and 0.179, according to the warrant.
When Swampscott police arrived at the scene of the crash, they found Petruccelli with his head slumped over the steering wheel, and Mateo halfway inside the car, and halfway out the passenger side door. Responding officers attempted to free Petruccelli from the vehicle but could not due to the damage done to the car. Mateo was removed from the vehicle, and firefighters began CPR before taking him to North Shore Medical Center.
A witness, identified in the report as Gianna Fuller, a resident of Swampscott, provided police with two videos of the crash. In one video, the car Petruccelli was driving can be seen driving along Paradise Road at a high rate of speed and veering over into oncoming traffic while coming around a bend, before “yawing” to the right, the warrant said. After that, the loud sound of screeching tires can be heard, followed by a loud crash.
Police also obtained a Snapchat video taken by Mateo, which shows Pettruccelli allegedly speeding up to pass the vehicle in front of him, and crossing the double yellow line to pass where prohibited. The car then returns to its correct lane and a voice in the vehicle can be heard saying “smoked ‘em,” according to the warrant. The video then shows headlights coming toward the vehicle as you hear tires screeching and someone in the vehicle saying “oh shit.”
Petruccelli’s attorney, Nathaniel Spinney, declined to comment on the outcome of Friday’s hearing.
Petruccelli also has pending cases in Lynn District Court for carrying a dangerous weapon in 2018 and an assault in 2019, according to state court records.
Charlie McKenna can be reached at [email protected].
