A Long Island woman is facing multiple charges in connection with a “drug-fueled” August crash that killed a man and injured two other people, officials announced Friday.
Cassandra Panetta, 41, of Plainview, was allegedly driving under the influence of methamphetamine when she ran a red light and crashed into a car in East Meadow on the afternoon of Aug. 10, the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office said in a press release.
Investigators said Panetta was driving her 2012 Nissan Maxima when she approached a steady red light at the intersection of Carman Avenue and Salisbury Park Drive.
Instead of stopping, Panetta allegedly drove through the red light and crashed into the rear driver’s side of a 2024 Nissan Altima making a left turn onto Carman Ave. The crash heavily damaged the vehicle and injured the driver and the front-seat passenger, prosecutors said.
The backseat passenger, 55-year-old Steven Diamond, went into cardiac arrest and was rushed to Nassau County Medical Center in East Meadow. He was pronounced dead a few hours later.
Diamond’s life was “senselessly cut short because of conduct that was as reckless as it was preventable,” Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said, referring to Panetta’s “alleged decision to drive while under the influence of methamphetamine [which] had irreversible consequences.”
The other two occupants of the 2024 Nissan, both women, were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. The 57-year-old driver suffered a concussion, while the 56-year-old front-seat passenger sustained minor injuries, officials said.
Panetta fractured her wrist in the crash, and investigators said forensic testing of her blood later revealed the presence of methamphetamine and amphetamine.
She was arrested Friday following a “thorough investigation” on charges of manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter, assault, driving while ability impaired by drugs (DWAI) and reckless driving, according to police.
Panetta pleaded not guilty during an appearance in Nassau County Court. Her bail was set at $500,000 cash, $750,000 bond or $1 million partially secured bond, online court records show.
She’s expected back in court on Dec. 4. If convicted, she faces seven to 15 years in prison.
