The news of an arrest in connection to her teenage son’s death didn’t bring a sense of relief to Angela Borrelli Tuesday.
“Some people had said it might feel like it was the beginning of moving toward some type of closure, but that didn’t happen. It just brought it all back and I feel as bad as I did the day it happened,” Borrelli said.
Borrelli’s son, Brandon Giordano, a popular 15-year-old student at Oxford High School, was killed in a car crash March 9.
Giordano was a backseat passenger in a Ford Mustang being driven by Eric Ramirez, 20, of Oxford.
On Tuesday, state police announced Ramirez was at fault for the crash and arrested him on charges of reckless driving, engaging in police pursuit and misconduct with a motor vehicle, according to a statement released by state police spokesmen Lt. J. Paul Vance.
According to state law, misconduct with a motor vehicle is alleged when a person, “with criminal negligence in the operation of a motor vehicle … causes the death of another person.”
The full statement from police is posted at the bottom of this article.
According to state police, Ramirez was driving a Ford Mustang convertible on Route 67 March 9 in Seymour when a police officer attempted to pull him over for a “motor vehicle violation.”
Ramirez sped off, ignoring the Seymour police vehicle, state police said. The YouTube video contains audio from the initial emergency radio transmissions.
The Seymour cruiser pursued, at which point Ramirez passed other vehicles on Route 67 and “intentionally” turned off his headlights to avoid detection.
“Ramirez continued to drive at a high rate of speed before turning off on to Old State Route 67 where he failed to negotiate the curvature of the roadway,” police said.
The Mustang hit an embankment, went airborne and struck the side of a building before landing upside down.
Giordano was riding in the back seat. Another passenger, 16-year-old Dion Major, survived the crash.
Ramirez was arrested Sept. 11 after police obtained a warrant. He was released on a $10,000 bond pending a Sept. 24 court appearance in Derby.
The state police summary does not mention the specific violation for which police initially tried to stop Ramirez. However, the Valley Indy reported in March that Seymour police had attempted to stop the car because it had illegal “ground effect” lights on its undercarriage.
Borrelli said Tuesday she hasn’t talked to the Ramirez family in some time.
She said she feels sorry for the Ramirez family. Borrelli even took to the Valley Indy Facebook page to share her thoughts.
“Nothing compared to the life time of a prison we are all living in with out my son … but its a start, I suppose,” she wrote. “Prayers to Eric and his family. This can’t be easy for them either. It’s the worst possible tragedy that could have happened to any of us. Our hearts will break forever.
She told the Valley Indy Ramirez is remorseful for what happened — but what happened, happened.
The state police investigation into the crash was conducted by the trooper’s “Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Squad.”
State police did not investigate whether the Seymour police pursuit was proper. Whether that initial police pursuit was within protocols is for the Seymour Police Department to determine, state police said.
Seymour police spokesman Lt. Paul Satkowski issued a statement Tuesday saying Seymour police had been waiting for the state police investigation to wrap up.
“Now that the accident investigation is complete the final report will be reviewed to determine if any department policies or procedures have been violated with regard to the action of the Seymour Police Officer,” Satkowski’s statement said.
“The Seymour Police Department has not yet received the final report for review,” the statement went on. “Representatives from the Seymour Police Department will not make any further comments until the appropriate time. Thank you for your patience and understanding.”
The statement from state police is posted below:
