City servants in L.I. horror
Qns. teach killed in smashup with wrong-way Bravest
An off-duty FDNY firefighter, driving the wrong way on a parkway, killed a beloved Queens public high school teacher set to be married, the Daily News has learned.
Firefighter Joseph Norris, 38, was driving the wrong way down Sunken Meadow Parkway near Smithtown, L.I., when he crashed into a 2007 Mazda CX7, killing driver Anthony Mariano, 44, about 7:30 p.m. Nov. 20, sources said.
“It shouldn’t have happened to him,” said Mariano’s devastated fiancée, Christie Azzolini, 41. “He’s the type of guy who would give you the shirt off of his back. He would literally do anything for anyone.”
Norris, who lives in Babylon, was driving a 2008 Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck south in the northbound lane when he collided head-on with Mariano near exit SM3.
Mariano, a social studies teacher for 17 years at Cardozo High School in Bayside, was soon to marry Azzolini, his girlfriend of 10 years. The coronavirus pandemic prompted them to push their wedding back from last July to next summer.
“Dear God, it’s just terrible,” said Mariano’s mom, Claudia Mariano, 78, as she wept. “I haven’t been able to talk about it, it’s been a little difficult, I’m a little numb.”
Mariano’s career as a teacher has served as a surprising source of comfort for the family and testament to his legacy.
“The students, it’s amazing what they’re saying” said Azzolini. “It’s an outpouring. Anthony would be so proud.”
“Being a schoolteacher, he knew to put his kids front and center,” said the victim’s twin brother, Matthew Mariano, 44. “He wasn’t telling them what to do, he was instilling the knowledge that allowed them to become the people they needed to be. That’s how he led his life. It wasn’t about him.”
First responders found Mariano, who lived in Kings Park, dead at the scene. They rushed Norris to Southside Hospital in Bay Shore in critical condition. Sources said Norris may lose both his legs due to the crash.
No charges had been filed as cops continued to investigate. A woman who answered the door at Norris’ home declined to comment Sunday.
Mariano was coming from Matthew’s house to see Azzolini and was going to pick up a pizza when Norris slammed into him.
“Anthony was the most cautious driver,” Azzolini said.
“Anytime you got in the car with him, if he saw somebody with a cell phone, he would be like, ‘Put your phone down.’ ”
“If someone was riding too close to him he would put his hand out the window and be like, ‘Back up,’ ” she added.
The family had mixed emotions toward the firefighter who ended the beloved teacher’s life.
“Matt’s a very forgiving person, and I would say that I’m not feeling the same forgiveness that he is right now,” said Azzolini, holding back tears. “Anthony was my future ... and getting on the highway the wrong way, that should not have happened. That should not have happened.”
In the wake of Mariano’s death, his family told friends and relatives to give the money to two local charities he cared about: an animal shelter and a sports program for underserved youth.
“Anthony was a huge animal lover,” Azzolini said. “Played baseball, 44 years old, on multiple baseball teams.”
The FDNY declined to comment Sunday except to note that Norris remains hospitalized.