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The incident began on Tuesday, March 28, when the state police became aware of videos posted to Instagram and Facebook showing the driver of an unknown Chevrolet traveling at speeds of approximately 133 mph in a 55 mph zone on Route 7 in Norwalk.
The video was roughly 18 seconds long and showed a vehicle with a Chevrolet emblem on the steering wheel accelerating from 56 mph to 133 mph, based on the vehicle’s visible speedometer, state police said.
A date and time stamp indicated that the videos were likely uploaded to the platforms on or about Monday, March 27. At the time of the investigation, the Instagram and Facebook account settings allowed for posts and videos to be viewed by the general public.
Trooper Pretel in Bridgeport was assigned to investigate the incident and attempt to identify the vehicle and operator depicted in the videos.
During the investigation, he was able to uncover the identity of both the Facebook and Instagram accounts as belonging to the same person who owned a 1969 Chevrolet Nova.
Pretel was also able to track the name and come up with a driver's license number and ID for the person identified as Joseph Tavella, age 36, of Norwalk.
Through further investigation, Pretel was able to identify a telephone number associated with Tavella.
On Thursday, March 30, investigators made contact with Tavella, who agreed to speak with them. While speaking with Tavella, troopers saw a black Chevy Nova nearby. During their interactions, Tavella provided troopers with the vehicle’s insurance information and admitted to driving the vehicle on Route 7 and recording the video, state police said.
A warrant was granted for Tavella's arrest, and Tuesday, April 11, he turned himself in at Troop G, where he was taken into custody, processed, and charged with the following:
- Reckless driving
- Operation of a vehicle while using a handheld device
- Reckless endangerment
Tavella was held on a court-set $100,000.00 bond and transported to Stamford Superior Court for a same-day arraignment.
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