John Cappello makes a court appearance Wednesday at the Nassau...

John Cappello makes a court appearance Wednesday at the Nassau County Courthouse in Mineola. Credit: Howard Schnapp

A Massapequa man on Wednesday admitted to driving drunk and causing a head-on crash in Bethpage in 2020 that ended the life of a 74-year-old woman.

John Cappello, 31, pleaded guilty in Nassau County Court in Mineola to aggravated vehicular homicide, manslaughter and assault in a deal that is expected to send him to prison for 7 to 15 years.

Prosecutors on Wednesday identified the victim of the crash as Manuela Brugueras.

The Nassau County District Attorney’s Office said Cappello’s intoxication level was nearly three times the legal limit when he veered into oncoming traffic and caused the wreck.

It happened at 10:35 a.m. on Sept. 22, 2020, on Stewart Avenue near Linden Avenue, according to police.

They said Cappello’s 2000 Mitsubishi Montero was heading south and crossed into oncoming traffic and struck the victim’s northbound 2019 Nissan Rogue.

Police said Cappello was hospitalized after the crash for injuries that weren’t life-threatening after rescuers cut him out of his sport utility vehicle.

They found hypodermic needles and an open pint-size bottle of vodka inside it, according to prosecutors, who said police arrested him at the crash scene.

First responders also took Brugueras to a hospital, where medical personnel pronounced her deceased.

Cappello told acting State Supreme Court Justice Robert Schwartz on Wednesday that he was feeling “a little overwhelmed” but that it was his choice to plead guilty.

The judge set July 6 as his sentencing date.

Cappello, who also said in court that he was a high school graduate who went to college for a year and worked in construction, remains out on bond.

Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly said in a statement Wednesday that “a devastating scene of twisted metal was left in the wake of this fatal head-on collision” and extended condolences to the family of the victim.

Cappello’s Mineola attorney, Marc Gann, told Newsday his client was “extremely remorseful.”

He added: “He feels terrible about it, he’s willing to accept his punishment and that’s why he stood here and pled guilty to these charges today.”

Latest videos

Newsday LogoSUBSCRIBEUnlimited Digital AccessOnly 25¢for 5 months
ACT NOWSALE ENDS SOON | CANCEL ANYTIME