Old Forge man dies days after crash; Moosic man held on charges
Aug. 23—A Moosic man faces charges for a head-on crash that killed a 69-year-old Old Forge man, authorities said Monday.
John Errigo, a newspaper carrier, died of multiple traumatic injuries at Geisinger Community Medical Center on Saturday, Lackawanna County Coroner Tim Rowland said. The manner of his death is pending the completion of a police investigation.
Nolan Devine, 18, 602 School St., struck Errigo's vehicle Wednesday morning on the 900 block of Springbrook Avenue, Moosic police said. He faces charges of aggravated assault by vehicle, recklessly endangering another person and various traffic violations.
Police Chief Rick Janesko said the investigation is continuing with state police assistance. He declined to comment further.
Attempts to reach attorney Paul Walker, listed on a court docket as Devine's counsel, were unsuccessful Wednesday.
Devine, who was also transported to the Scranton hospital after the 6:49 a.m. crash, told police his Cadillac SUV malfunctioned and he could not stop it from drifting into oncoming traffic, according to a criminal complaint prepared by Officer James Giehl.
Witnesses, however, led police to conclude he drove with reckless disregard as he sped and passed other vehicles, the officer wrote.
Jason Genell, a tractor-trailer driver, told officers he saw Devine's SUV go airborne because of his speed when he drove across railroad tracks on York Avenue in Avoca shortly before the crash.
After, Genell turned north from York Avenue onto Main Street and saw the SUV pass vehicles by driving in the oncoming lane. Once he approached Springbrook Avenue, Genell saw the vehicle had collided with another, police said.
"What were you thinking, passing cars?" Genell asked Devine, according to his statement.
Devine replied he had fallen asleep, according to an affidavit.
Another witness, Paul Kwiatowski, told police he saw Devine's SUV pass others in the wrong lane.
Authorities said surveillance footage recovered from nearby businesses confirmed the accounts given by the witnesses.
"We're shocked and heartbroken," said Joe Nealon, circulation director for The Times-Tribune and The Citizens' Voice, where Errigo worked as a carrier.
Since he retired from UPS in 2018, where he worked more than 30 years as a forklift operator, Errigo woke at 2 a.m. to deliver the newspaper, then return home by 5 a.m. so he could have coffee with his wife, said his son, John Errigo III.
He delivered papers part time to pay for home repairs. The couple planned to sell the house and retire somewhere near the countryside.
The 44-year-old remembered his father as a man skilled in the kitchen — his Italian meatballs and sauce could not be beat — who enjoyed the Beatles and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders baseball. Most of all, he loved his family and knew how to make them smile.
As Errigo III worked toward his Ph.D. in management and leadership, his father was his biggest cheerleader.
"Just one example of a loving and good dad," he said.
Devine remained jailed Monday at Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $100,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled 11:30 a.m. Monday.
Errigo's obituary appears on Page B8.
Contact the writer:
jkohut@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100, x5187;
@jkohutTT on Twitter.
