Durham police charge driver with 15-year-old bike rider’s death in April crash
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Prosecutors charged Joseph Savarino with felony death by motor vehicle and manslaughter.
- Savarino initially faced a misdemeanor DWI after he was arrested at the crash scene.
- Savarino's blood alcohol was 0.11% in a test about 3 hours and 45 minutes after the crash.
The Durham man charged with driving while impaired in a crash that killed a 15-year-old boy in April now faces charges for the teen’s death.
Durham police have charged Joseph Savarino, 26, with felony death by motor vehicle, involuntary manslaughter and failure to reduce speed, they said in a release Thursday.
The new charges are in addition to the misdemeanor DWI he was charged with after he was arrested at the scene of the crash and told police he’d been drinking. Police said he was driving northwest on Cole Mill Road just before 9 p.m. on April 18 when the juvenile “entered his path” while riding an e-bike in the same direction.
The 15-year-old — who family members later identified as Cardinal Gibbons freshman Jack O’Shea — was struck and died on scene.
According to court records, Savarino had a blood alcohol level of 0.11%, exceeding the legal limit of 0.8%. Police tested Savarino’s blood alcohol levels at about 12:45 a.m. Sunday, his test results document states, more than three hours after the crash occurred.
Savarino posted $100,000 and was later released from Durham County custody. He also surrendered his driver’s license to the court, as required by North Carolina law.
Savarino is the brother of former Duke basketball player Michael Savarino, who played for the pair’s grandfather and now-retired Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski during his time with the Blue Devils. Michael Savarino pleaded guilty to a DWI charge in 2022 after a traffic stop in rural Orange County.
This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 2:22 PM with the headline "Durham police charge driver with 15-year-old bike rider’s death in April crash."
