MINEOLA, N.Y. – Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas announced that a Deer Park man has been arraigned on grand jury indictment charges for the November 2017 death of an 18-year old woman in a Levittown parking lot.
Daniel Coppolo, 32, was arraigned today before Acting Supreme Court Justice Terence Murphy on charges of Manslaughter in the Second Degree (a C felony), Assault in the Second Degree (a D violent felony), Leaving the Scene of an Incident Without Reporting (a D felony), Tampering with Physical Evidence (an E felony), Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree (an A misdemeanor) and Reckless Driving (an unclassified misdemeanor).
Bail was continued at $1 million bond or $600,000 cash and the defendant is due back in court on May 17. If convicted of the top count, the defendant faces up to 8-2/3 years to 26 years in prison.
“Eighteen-year-old Taranjit Parmar was a beautiful, successful student when her life was taken from her after a minor fender bender,” DA Singas said. “It is unthinkable that in addition to allegedly driving away with the young woman in the open window and then running her over, the driver fled the scene and left Taranjit to die in the parking lot. My heartfelt sympathies remain with the Parmar family as my office prosecutes the defendant for these terrible allegations.”
DA Singas said that on November 9, 2017, at approximately 5 p.m., 18-year old Taranjit Parmar was driving a grey 2018 Jeep Cherokee eastbound on Hempstead Turnpike. Just before the intersection of Gardiners Avenue in Levittown, Daniel Coppolo, who was driving a red 2013 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck, pulled out of the parking lot exit near the Ultra Gas Station at 3300 Hempstead Turnpike, and the two vehicles were involved in a minor collision. After the incident, the drivers pulled both vehicles into the parking lot west of the gas station.
Parmar exited her vehicle and called her mother. While on the phone with her mother, Parmar yelled for the driver to stop and grabbed the defendant’s truck as he started to move. Coppolo allegedly drove through the parking lot, dragging the victim and ultimately ran her over before fleeing the scene by driving the wrong way on Hempstead Turnpike.
The victim was transported to the hospital in cardiac arrest and was pronounced deceased that night.
After an investigation, members of the Nassau County Police Department located the defendant’s truck in the parking lot of the Target in Westbury, where Coppolo had been arrested for another matter several days after the November 9 incident.
Coppolo, a former FDNY employee, was arrested on December 23rd for the Levittown incident.
Deputy Bureau Chief Michael Bushwack and Assistant District Attorney Tara DePalo of DA Singas’ Vehicular Crimes Bureau are prosecuting the case. Coppolo is represented by Lawrence Carra, Esq.
The charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty.
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