NORTHAMPTON CCOUNTY, Va. — A man has been charged in connection with the January 28 crash that killed two young girls on the Eastern Shore.
Virginia State Police obtained warrants for the arrest of Joseph Michael Castiglia, who they say was the driver of the Ford F250 that hit the back of the Toyota Yaris in which the girls were riding.
Castiglia was charged with two counts of manslaughter and one count of reckless driving. He was held without bond.
Around 7:24 a.m. on the morning of the incident, State Police were called to Route for reports of a multi-vehicle crash.
Police said a Northampton school bus was stopped in the left, southbound lanes of Route 13 with its safety lights flashing and its stop sign deployed. A 2016 GMC Sierra and a 2007 Toyota Yaris stopped adjacent to the school bus in the right lane.
As the vehicles were stopped next to the school bus, authorities say Castiglia hit the back of the Toyota and pushed it into the GMC.
The impact caused massive damage to the Toyota, killing the 12-year-old girl in the back seat. A 15-year-old girl who was also in the back seat suffered serious, life-threatening injuries and was taken to the Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters in Norfolk.
The Toyota's driver, 33-year-old Nayda Vazquez Negron, and her front seat passenger, a 13-year-old girl, suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Police said the 15-year-old in the back seat of the Toyotadied of her injuries Sunday at CHKD.
Castiglia and the driver of the GMC were not injured in the crash.
The two victims, 12-year-old Nadyanaliz and 15-year-old Dajerelis, were sisters.
The girls' aunt, Migdalia Ortiz,said that as soon as she learned about what happened she drove to Virginia from her home in Rochester, N.Y. to be with her family.
"I called my brother and when he answered the phone, he just broke in tears and said my baby's gone," she said.
As of Friday, a GoFundMe for the girls has now raised more than $32,300 of its $40,000 goal.
