NEW YORK — A 25-year-old man pleaded guilty Monday to a charge stemming from a drunk-driving crash in which a FDNY firefighter was killed.
NJ.com reported that Anthony Marsal appeared before a judge and pleaded guilty to a single count of death by auto for the Oct. 11, 2013 crash that took the life of 57-year-old John Monteverde.
Toxicology tests revealed that Marsal’s blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit shortly after he was arrested, according to the report. He had also ingested cocaine in the hours leading to the crash.
The prosecutor’s office recommended that Marsal, who has no prior criminal history, receive a five-year prison term when he is sentenced later this year, according to the report.
Monteverde, a 31-year veteran of the FDNY, was driving to work from his Pennsylvania vacation home when his motorcycle was struck by Marsal’s 1996 Honda Accord, the prosecutor said.
Monteverde, who was wearing a bright reflective vest at the time of the crash, was thrown from his motorcycle and died of multiple internal and external injuries, according to the report. He was driving to his firehouse in Staten Island at the time of the collision.
Marsal will have to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole, and after he is released, will be on parole for three years, and his driver’s license will be suspended for five years, according to the prosecutor’s office.