Privacy update — September 18, 2026: Identifying details have been removed under our victim privacy policy.
What Happened
Cassandra Panetta, 41, of Plainview pleaded guilty September 18, 2026, before Nassau County Judge Helene Gugerty to charges stemming from an August 10, 2025 crash on Carman Avenue in East Meadow that killed a 55-year-old male backseat passenger and injured two other people, according to a press release from the Nassau County District Attorney’s office. The guilty plea covers three counts: Manslaughter in the Second Degree (a C felony), Assault in the Second Degree (a D felony), and Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs (a misdemeanor).
At approximately 1:00 p.m. on August 10, 2025, Panetta was behind the wheel of her 2021 Nissan Maxima on Carman Avenue, heading toward her Plainview home, the DA’s office said. She reached the intersection at Salisbury Park Drive, where the signal was showing a steady red. At the same moment, a second vehicle carrying three passengers was making a left turn from Salisbury Park Drive onto Carman Avenue on a green light.
Panetta drove through the red light without braking and struck the rear driver’s side of the turning vehicle as it completed the turn, per the Nassau County DA’s account. The impact caused heavy damage to the victims’ car. Panetta fractured her wrist in the collision.
The 55-year-old male backseat passenger was in cardiac arrest when paramedics arrived at the scene. He was transported to Nassau County Medical Center in East Meadow and pronounced dead at 3:13 p.m. The driver of the victims’ vehicle suffered a concussion. The front-seat passenger sustained minor injuries.
Blood drawn from Panetta at the hospital detected both methamphetamine and amphetamine, prosecutors said. She was not arrested at the scene. The Nassau County Police Department’s Homicide Squad took her into custody on October 17, 2025, more than two months after the crash.
DA Anne T. Donnelly said in a statement: “High on methamphetamine in the middle of the day, Cassandra Panetta got behind the wheel, plowed through a red light, and crashed into the car where the victim was riding in the back seat, taking his life in an instant.” Donnelly added that the victim had been on his way to spend the afternoon at the beach with friends.
Location & Road Context
Carman Avenue is a north-south arterial through East Meadow that carries steady midday residential and commercial traffic. The intersection at Salisbury Park Drive sits near Eisenhower Park, a high-traffic destination on summer weekends. The crash occurred on a Sunday at 1:00 p.m., during peak afternoon travel in that corridor.
The Long Island Traffic database records 1,323 accidents in Nassau County, consistent crash volume across the county’s surface-road network. Carman Avenue intersections have logged prior incidents in that dataset.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
The case is prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney James Taglienti of the Nassau County DA’s Vehicular Crimes Bureau, under Bureau Chief Michael Bushwack and Executive Assistant District Attorney for the Litigation Division Daryl Levy, the DA’s office stated. Panetta is represented by defense counsel.
The DA’s office recommended a sentence of six to 12 years in prison. The statutory range for Panetta’s plea is four to 12 years. She returns to Judge Gugerty’s courtroom on December 8, 2026, for sentencing.
Broader Impact
A conviction on Manslaughter in the Second Degree in New York carries a maximum of 15 years for a class C felony. The DA’s recommended floor of six years accounts for the drug-impairment aggravator and the fatal outcome. Panetta’s misdemeanor Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs count runs concurrent and does not extend her exposure beyond the felony range. The December 8 sentencing date will determine where in the four-to-12-year window Judge Gugerty lands.