Teen Pleads Guilty to Vehicular Homicide in Livestreamed Fatal Crash
A Long Island teenager has pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide, manslaughter, and other charges for a fatal 2024 crash that killed a 73-year-old woman while he was livestreaming on social media in a stolen SUV.
Matthew Papile, 18, admitted to stealing a 2008 Land Rover and driving under the influence of marijuana on May 4, 2024, when he crashed into Marion Napolitano's vehicle. The collision propelled Napolitano's 1994 Toyota Corolla into a telephone pole and a tree, resulting in her death and serious injury to her passenger.
Papile, who was 16 at the time of the incident, attempted to flee the scene on foot but was apprehended by three bystanders, including an off-duty Suffolk County police officer.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney stated that Papile's guilty plea highlights the "outrageous and utterly unacceptable decision" to drive recklessly in a stolen vehicle while impaired. Tierney added that Papile's actions were "selfish, lethal and they ruined lives." The defendant was tried as an adult.
Papile faces a prison sentence of six to 18 years and is scheduled for sentencing on September 15.
