By:Jenn Abelson
As his wife begged him "Don't do it, don't do it," Michael Vasapolli of North Woodmere revved up his Lamborghini engine and began to drag race his opponent's Corvette at the intersection of Lawson Boulevard and Weidner Avenue in Oceanside Sunday afternoon, police said.
Two blocks later, Vasapolli crossed the center line and smashed head-on into a 2000 Volvo, killing himself and an innocent driver, according to Det. Lt. Frank Guidice of the Nassau County Homicide Squad.
Witnesses reported seeing a 2001 Lamborghini operated by Michael Vasapolli, 30, of Flanders Drive and a 1990 Corvette driven by Kevin Hart, 27, of Wolf Avenue in Malverne, darting in and out of traffic lanes and cutting off other cars while traveling south on Lawson Boulevard at 3:39 p.m.
According to Guidice, witnesses estimated the racing cars' speeds at 75 to 80 mph.
As the drag racers approached Montgomery Avenue, Vasapolli moved out into one of the northbound lanes to pass a Cadillac when he collided head-on with Glenn Jacofsky, 43, who was only minutes from his home on Fifth Street in Oceanside where he celebrated Father's Day with his two children, Michelle, 13, and Steven, 9, the previous Sunday.
The two men were killed instantly, Guidice said.
The collision mangled Jacofsky's black car almost beyond recognition and twisted the Lamborghini into a mass of metal. Vasapolli's wife, Karen Mauro, and Jacofsky's wife, Amy, were treated for cuts and major bruises and released from a hospital Monday.
In order to avoid Vasapolli's spinning car, Hart darted his Corvette curbside and crashed it into a fence and a parked school bus, Guidice said. He was taken to South Nassau Communities Hospital with minor injuries and released into police custody later that day.
Hart is charged with two counts of manslaughter in the second degree. He was arraigned on Monday in First District Court in Hempstead.
Guidice said Vasapolli's wife "indicated to us and officers at the scene that she knew he was about to race and that she asked him not to do it. She told him several times, 'don't do it, don't do it,'" Guidice said. "He disregarded her advice."
Families of both Vasapolli and Hart declined to comment to The Herald.
Jacofsky's brother, Bernard, described him as "an absolute family man. He was adored by his children and wife and he adored them."
As a partner in his family's telecommunications business, DJJ Associates of Islandia, "He was a very astute, accomplished businessman, who was dedicated to his business," Jacofsky's brother went on to say.
Neighbors also praised Jacofsky, as a helpful friend and committed family man.
"He was a compassionate, sweet person who always came over to help us," said Frank and Mary Scorcia, who knew Jacofsky for more than a decade.
"I saw Glenn earlier in the day Sunday and waved to him as he was driving off in his car. He was the nicest person ... very kind and wonderful father and husband. I never heard a cross word out of him," neighbor Sheila Segel said.
Although Vasapolli and Hart had valid New York drivers' licenses at the time of the crash, their records were far from clean, Guidice said. Hart had three speeding convictions dating back to 1991 and Vasapolli had seven speeding convictions since 1989. His license was suspended in 1989 for persistent violations and revoked in 1990. The Department of Motor Vehicles suspended his license again in 1993 for failure to answer summonses.
Guidice called the Sunday afternoon drag-racing incident highly unusual. "Our experience shows that most drag racing occurs at night, and usually it's younger people involved."
Although Guidice didn't have information available about the frequency of drag racing on Lawson Boulevard, residents in the area said the street is known as a raceway for speeding sports cars.
"There is constant drag racing here from 10 to midnight. It has increased quite a bit during the past six years," said Edwin Madison, who has lived on the corner of Montgomery Avenue for 36 years.
Kashmir Singh, owner of Sun Auto Repair at the corner of Waukena Avenue and Lawson, said, "I always find people going fast along this road. All the time."
Guidice said, "Drag racing is illegal, it's dangerous and it can certainly be a tragedy for all those involved."
Jacofsky's funeral was Tuesday at Boulevard Riverside Chapel in Hewlett.
Joseph Kellard contributed to this story.
