Tavella came to the attention of state police on March 28 when they were alerted to videos posted to Instagram and Facebook showing the driver of a Chevrolet traveling at speeds of about 133mph, a police report said. — Photo by Alessio Lin on Unsplash
NORWALK: A local man was arrested after state police said they traced his identity through a series of social media posts that showed he filmed himself driving at speeds up to 133mph (214kmph) on Route 7 last month.
Joe Tavella III came to the attention of state police on March 28 when they were alerted to videos posted to Instagram and Facebook showing the driver of a Chevrolet traveling at speeds of about 133mph on what appeared to be Route 7 in Norwalk, a police report said.
The speed limit in that area is 55mph, state police said. The 18-second video showed the speedometer of the car, which had a Chevy emblem on the steering wheel, accelerating from 56mph to 133mph, the report said. The social media posts were set to allow the general public to view the video, state police said.
The trooper assigned to investigate was able to track down Tavella’s identity through his Instagram account and then found his Facebook account, which showed photos of a black classic Chevy Nova and the video of the 133mph ride, state police said.
The video showed the driver’s reflection, which indicated he was a white man with visible tattoos on his right arm and that he was recording his speed with his cellphone in his left hand, state police said.
Tavella’s social media posts also showed the license plate to his classic 1970 Nova, which troopers used to verify his identity with the state Department of Motor Vehicles, the report said.
Tavella admitted during a conversation with state police that he had taken the video as he was driving the car on Route 7 in Norwalk on March 26, the report said.
Tavella turned himself in early April 11 to be served with an arrest warrant charging him with second-degree reckless endangerment, operation of a motor vehicle while using a hand-held device and reckless driving.
He was held on US$100,000 bond and expected to be arraigned Tuesday in Superior Court in Stamford. – The News-Times, Danbury, Conn./Tribune News Service
