Services set for police officer killed in Las Vegas crash
Services for Joshua Castellano, a New Haven police officer killed last week in a car crash in Las Vegas, will be held later this week, according to his obituary.
Hours of visitation will be held Thursday from 4 to 8 p.m. at West Haven Funeral Home on the Green and a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Mary’s Church, 5 Hillside Ave. in
New Haven. Interment will follow in Grove Street Cemetery.
Castellano, 35, of Branford, was killed when the car in which he was a passenger lost control and flipped over while he was on vacation in Las Vegas with three other New Haven officers. The officer who was driving, Robert Ferraro, was charged with DUI and reckless driving as a result of the crash. Castellano graduated from the police academy in 2017 and served seven years with the New Haven Police Department, according to his obituary. He previously served on the Narcotics Enforcement Unit and was a member of the Shooting Task Force.
He has been remembered as a passionate officer who loved his fellow officers and community.
“Joshua’s life was a gift,” his family said in a statement. “We are grateful that he could share part of it with his colleagues at the New
Haven Police Department and with the countless community members he encountered while proudly serving on the police force. Joshua approached his life and work with unmatched passion and excitement, and his genuine love for people was infectious.”
New Haven Police Chief Renee Dominguez expressed her grief on behalf of the department at a press conference Saturday.
“The grief and the pain that the men and women of the police department are going through is that of [losing] a brother,” Dominguez said. “He is the officer who came to work every single day happy to be here ... He didn’t care what his assignment was; he was happy. He didn’t complain, he did his job with passion, he was compassionate. He was the full package.”
A fund for memorial donations has been set up on Fund The First to benefit his mother, Denise Castellano, with whom he was very close.
“Besides being an incredible officer, Josh was an even better son, who leaves behind his wonderful mother, Denise, as well as countless friends,” the donation page says.
“No one who came across him in their lifetime ever forgot him. He was loyal, compassionate, reliable and approached every aspect of his life with passion and excitement. Josh made every person love him without even trying, and so many people will miss him dearly.”