(Photo courtesy of Miranda Thompson)
WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Massachusetts State Police have arrested the driver they say killed seven motorcyclists and injured three others in a crash Friday night in Randolph, New Hampshire.
Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, 23, is charged with seven counts of negligent homicide, according to the New Hampshire Attorney General's office. Mass. State Police arrested him on a fugitive from justice warrant around 8 a.m. Monday at his Newbridge Street home in West Springfield.
He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Springfield District Court Monday afternoon, and waived extradition to New Hampshire.
At that arraignment, it was learned that Zhukovskyy was arrested last month in Connecticut on a drunk driving charge.
State Police said they also found wax packets in Zhukovskyy's home "suspected of being heroin." Though he hasn't yet been charged with any drug offenses, State Police said he will face additional charges if a lab test identifies the residue as an illegal narcotic.
The victims in the crash were members or supporters of the Marine JarHeads Motorcycle Club, which includes Marines and their spouses. The group was taking part in an annual trip when authorities say Zhukovskyy's truck, towing a flat-bed trailer, collided with them on a two-lane highway.
(NH Attorney General's Office)
The seven killed were identified over the weekend as Michael Ferazzi, 62, of Contoocook, N.H.; Albert Mazza, 49, of Lee, N.H.; Daniel Pereira, 58, of Riverside, R.I.; Joanne and Edward Corr, both 58, of Lakeville, Mass.; Desma Oakes, 42, of Concord, N.H.; and Aaron Perry, 45, of Farmington, N.H.
On Sunday, 400 motorcyclists gathered in Columbia, New Hampshire for a "Blessing of the Bikes" ceremony that became a memorial for the victims of the tragic crash.
Zhukovskyy, identified by investigators on Saturday, did not need to be hospitalized as a result of the crash. He is an employee of Westfield Transport, based in Springfield.
According to CBS News Correspondent Garry Nunn, state records revealed at that arraignment that Westfield Transport has a history of violations.
Authorities in both states are still investigating the crash.
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