W.H. man arrested on drug charges, woman charged in fatal W.H. car accident

W.H. man arrested on drug charges
Detectives with the Nassau County Police Department’s Narcotics/Vice Squad arrested a 24-year-old West Hempstead man on drug charges last week.

Police observed Joseph Pirrello, of Madison Avenue in West Hempstead, around 10 p.m. on Dec. 1 as he exited his residence, approached a waiting vehicle and conducted a hand-to-hand drug transaction with someone else. Pirrello allegedly dropped eight bags of heroin into the waiting vehicle and was found to have marijuana in his possession.

A search of Pirrello’s bedroom turned up multiple bags of marijuana, psilcybin (mushrooms), Xanax pills, Clonazepam pills, Suboxone, MDMA and LSD.

Cops charged Pirrello with three counts of possession of a controlled substance, two counts of criminal possession of marijuana and criminal sale of marijuana. He was arraigned at First District Court on Dec. 2, and bail was set at $100,000 bond or $50,000 cash. Pirrello is represented by the Legal Aid Society and was due back in court on Dec. 6.

Driver charged in West Hempstead car crash that killed passenger
Last week, police charged an 18-year-old driver whose passenger was killed when the car in which they were riding crashed in West Hempstead.

The driver, Daritza Lopez, of Uniondale, was driving in the eastbound lane of Hempstead Turnpike in West Hempstead around 5:35 a.m. on Nov. 29 with 28-year-old passenger Herica Contreras, also of Uniondale, when she lost control of the car, hit a parked vehicle, crossed over the westbound lane, entered the parking lot of a closed gas station and struck the side wall of the building, which is located at 130 Hempstead Turnpike.

Emergency responders pronounced Contreras dead at the scene. Lopez was transported to a hospital for treatment of her injuries. She was charged with second-degree manslaughter and vehicular manslaughter, driving while intoxicated, third-degree unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and unlicensed operator.

A judge ordered Lopez remanded. She was due back in court on Dec. 5 and is represented by attorney Michael Dergarabedian.