In the early hours of a September morning in Las Vegas, a seven-year veteran of the New Haven Police Department lost his life not in the line of duty he had sworn to uphold, but as a passenger in a vehicle allegedly driven recklessly by a fellow officer and academy classmate. Joshua Castellano, thirty-five, was ejected from a speeding Rolls Royce that lost control and struck multiple objects before coming to rest on its roof — a reminder that the dangers officers face are not always found where they expect them. His death, the ninety-eighth traffic fatality in Las Vegas that year, leaves behin
New Haven Police Officer Killed in Las Vegas Crash; Fellow Officer Arrested for DUI
Officer Joshua Castellano, 35, died from injuries sustained in the crash despite life-saving measures at University Medical Center's Trauma Unit.
Despite all life-saving measures, he died from his injuries.
Mark
So two officers from the same department, same academy class, and one of them is driving impaired with the other as a passenger. How does something like that happen?
Mimi
They were off-duty, in Las Vegas. The report shows Ferraro was clearly impaired at the scene—the officers noted it, which is why he was arrested. But the bigger question is what led to that moment, and we don't have that answer yet.
Luke
Right. We know Ferraro showed signs of impairment and was arrested, but the investigation is still ongoing. We don't know his blood alcohol level, we don't know if there were other factors, we don't know the full context of the evening.
Mark
The vehicle itself was a Rolls Royce. That's an expensive car. Was this a department vehicle, or personal?
Mimi
The report doesn't specify. It just says it was a white 2020 Rolls Royce Cullinan. Given that it was in Las Vegas with off-duty officers and civilians from Texas, it was likely a rental or personal vehicle, but that detail isn't confirmed.
Luke
And that matters, because it changes the story slightly. But what we do know is concrete: the speed was high, the control was lost, and Castellano was ejected and died.
Mark
The other officers in the car—Truhart and Borges—are they okay?
Mimi
The report doesn't say. It mentions they were passengers, but there's no information about their condition or injuries.
Luke
That's a significant gap. We know five people were in the vehicle, we know one died, we know the driver was arrested, but the status of three other passengers is simply not reported.
Mark
And this was early morning, nearly 4 a.m. What were they doing out at that hour?
Mimi
Again, not in the report. They were off-duty officers in Las Vegas with civilians. The circumstances of the evening aren't documented in what we have.
Luke
So we have the collision itself very well documented—the physics of it, the damage, the outcome. But the human story around it, the decisions that led to it, remains unclear.
The Pulse
- At nearly 4 a.m., a luxury SUV carrying five passengers — four New Haven officers and two civilians — was traveling at high speed through a Las Vegas intersection when the driver lost control.
- The vehicle struck a parked Mustang, then careened into utility poles, a fire hydrant, and landscaping before flipping onto its roof and ejecting Officer Joshua Castellano from the front passenger seat.
- Despite emergency transport to University Medical Center's Trauma Unit, Castellano, a decorated member of the Shooting Task Force, did not survive his injuries.
- The driver, fellow officer Robert Ferraro — who had trained alongside Castellano in the same 2015 academy class — showed visible signs of impairment at the scene and was arrested on DUI and reckless driving charges, held on $5,000 bail.
- The New Haven Police Department, reeling from the loss, asked the public to respect the privacy of Castellano's family as investigators in Las Vegas continued piecing together the full account of that morning.
In the early hours of a September morning in Las Vegas, a seven-year veteran of the New Haven Police Department lost his life not in the line of duty he had sworn to uphold, but as a passenger in a vehicle allegedly driven recklessly by a fellow officer and academy classmate. Joshua Castellano, thirty-five, was ejected from a speeding Rolls Royce that lost control and struck multiple objects before coming to rest on its roof — a reminder that the dangers officers face are not always found where they expect them. His death, the ninety-eighth traffic fatality in Las Vegas that year, leaves behind a department in grief and questions that an ongoing investigation has yet to fully answer.
Joshua Castellano had spent seven years with the New Haven Police Department, most recently serving on the Shooting Task Force. On the morning of September 17, 2021, he was a passenger in a white Rolls Royce Cullinan moving through Las Vegas alongside four others, including fellow officers Robert Ferraro, John Truhart, and Matthew Borges, and two women from San Antonio.
Just before 4 a.m., near West Spring Mountain Road and South Decatur Boulevard, the vehicle was traveling westbound at high speed when it lost control entering the intersection. It struck a Ford Mustang waiting in a nearby driveway, then continued into utility poles, landscaping, and a fire hydrant. The force of the collision flipped the SUV onto its roof, ejecting Castellano from the front passenger seat before the vehicle righted itself and came to rest amid scattered debris.
Castellano was rushed to University Medical Center's Trauma Unit, where he died despite every effort to save him. Driver Robert Ferraro, thirty-four, remained at the scene showing clear signs of impairment and was arrested on charges of DUI and reckless driving, held on $5,000 bail ahead of a Saturday court appearance.
The crash was recorded as the ninety-eighth traffic fatality in the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department's jurisdiction for 2021, with the investigation continuing through witness accounts, physical evidence, and surveillance footage. Back in New Haven, the department expressed its grief publicly while asking for privacy for Castellano's family — a family now mourning a man who had trained in the same academy class as the officer charged in his death.
Joshua Castellano was thirty-five years old and had spent seven years as a New Haven police officer, most recently working on the Shooting Task Force. On the morning of September 17, 2021, he was a passenger in a white 2020 Rolls Royce Cullinan traveling through Las Vegas with four other people. The vehicle was being driven by Robert Ferraro, also a New Haven officer, who was thirty-four years old and lived in East Haven. Two other New Haven officers—John Truhart and Matthew Borges—were also in the car, along with two women from San Antonio, Texas.
At 3:58 a.m., near the intersection of West Spring Mountain Road and South Decatur Boulevard, the Rolls Royce was moving westbound at high speed when it entered the intersection and began to lose control. A white 2021 Ford Mustang was waiting in a private driveway at that location, preparing to enter the roadway. The Rolls Royce veered right off the pavement and struck the Mustang, then continued westbound, colliding with utility poles, landscaping, and a fire hydrant. The impact was violent enough that the vehicle flipped onto its roof, ejected Castellano from the right front passenger seat, and then righted itself before coming to rest. Debris from the collision scattered across the street and struck a parked 2014 Scion XB nearby.
Medical personnel arrived and transported Castellano to University Medical Center's Trauma Unit. Despite all available life-saving measures, he died from his injuries. The driver, Ferraro, remained at the scene and showed visible signs of impairment. He was arrested and held in the Las Vegas jail on $5,000 bail, facing charges of reckless driving and driving under the influence. He was scheduled to appear before a judge on Saturday morning at 9 a.m.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department's investigation report documented the sequence of events through witness statements, evidence collected at the scene, and surveillance video. The collision marked the ninety-eighth traffic-related fatality in the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department's jurisdiction for the year 2021. The investigation remained ongoing through the department's Collision Investigation Section.
Back in New Haven, the police department issued a statement through spokesperson Scott Shumway expressing shock and grief. The department asked for privacy for Castellano's family as they navigated the aftermath. Castellano and Ferraro had both graduated from the police academy in the same class in 2015, meaning they had trained together and worked in the same department for years before that early morning in Las Vegas.
Notable Quotes
At this time, we ask for support as our entire department is in shock and grieving. Please respect Officer Castellano's family's privacy as we continue to navigate this very difficult time.— Scott Shumway, New Haven Police Department spokesperson
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