'TRASHED' DRIVER
Garbage man in ‘drunk’ car mash
A boozed-up sanitation man lost control of his garbage truck and set off a wild chain-reaction crash early Saturday in Brooklyn, cops and witnesses said.
Anthony Castaldo was recklessly driving the private Viking Sanitation truck on 60th Street near 19th Avenue in Borough Park at 6 a.m. when he slammed into several parked cars and a tree, and wound up on Francesca Boscarello’s front lawn, authorities said.
“It’s disgusting that this happened,” said Boscarello.
Four cars were totaled, and the impact sent a contractor’s white SUV on top of a now-totaled silver Nissan Rogue. Castaldo even narrowly missed an FDNY vehicle on its way to a call, witnesses said.
“It sounded like an earthquake,” said a neighbor who revealed only her first name, Goldie. “Cars piled up like dominoes. It’s a miracle nobody was killed.”
When cops arrived, Castaldo, 40, shoved an officer and bolted, police said. The officer slipped and fell during the chase, injuring his arms and hands, according to police.
Nearby residents even chased after Castaldo, who “looked weird,” said Goldie’s son, Berel, 11. “Our neighbor came out and yelled, ‘Where do you think you’re going?’ and started running after him,” Berel said. “The driver tried to yell at them, ‘I didn’t do it! Somebody over there did it!’ and then he just ran.”
The injured officer managed to corner Castaldo — who refused, after repeated requests, to show cops what was in his waistband, police sources said. The officer then pulled a Taser and fired it at Castaldo, according to the sources.
Castaldo was charged with reckless driving, resisting arrest, leaving the scene of an accident, driving while intoxicated and refusing to take a Breathalyzer test. Both Castaldo and the officer, who sustained minor injuries, were taken to Maimonides Medical Center.
“It appears that this driver failed to adhere to our standards and he was immediately suspended as part of the ongoing investigation of this serious incident,” a Viking Sanitation spokesperson said.