Two plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter in Scranton barber's death
Two men accused of road rage that led to the March 2024 death of a barber from West Scranton pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter Tuesday.
Prosecutors say John Darko, 1330 Fords Pond Road, Glenburn Twp., and Paul Viscomi, 39 Van Sickle St., Scott Twp., were involved in a road-rage incident on Keyser Avenue that resulted in the death of Brian Nardella.
Fatal road rage incident
The men were charged in May 2024 after an investigation that began when officers responded to a head-on crash the morning of March 27, 2024, along North Keyser Avenue near Stanton Street, according to the criminal complaint.
First responders found Nardella unresponsive and trapped in his SUV, which was on its roof in a parking lot at the bottom of an embankment on the northbound side of Keyser Avenue, police said.
*
John Darko (Submitted)
*
Paul Viscomi (Submitted)
Show Caption
1 of 2
John Darko (Submitted)
Expand
Darko was lying in the grass on the northbound side of Keyser Avenue with an apparent broken left leg and right arm after he was ejected from his 2006 Chevy Silverado during the crash, according to police. Darko was conscious and alert.
Crews extricated Nardella and transported him to Geisinger Community Medical Center, where he died, according to the complaint.
Investigators with the Scranton Police Department and state police determined Darko and Viscomi had been jockeying for position at the time of the crash, charges read.
Darko first tried to pass Viscomi and Viscomi sped up to block him. Darko hit a curb and then Viscomi's truck. The impact caused Darko to lose control of his truck, spin out, cross the double yellow line into oncoming traffic and strike Nardella's vehicle, court paperwork says.
The impact pushed Nardella's Honda Passport backward and over a small embankment, causing it to roll over onto its roof, according to police. Darko's truck spun violently after the impact, ejecting Darko through the passenger window.
State police reconstructed the crash, determining Darko was driving at least 61 mph before the collision, and Viscomi accelerated from 20 mph to at least 53 mph to stop Darko from merging. Nardella attempted to maneuver out of the way, and his airbag module showed he was driving at 30 mph when the crash happened, according to the charging documents.
The speed limit is 35 mph where the crash occurred, police said.
Darko and Viscomi are scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 9.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Miami Herald
Lowe's employee reported coworker to HR before deadly PA shooting, sister says
A Lowe's employee was shot three times, including twice in the head, during the culmination of an ongoing feud with a coworker, Pennsylvania authorities say. Christopher Wasnetsky, 36, has now been charged with murder following the June 14 fatal shooting at a Lowe's store, according to the Scranton Police Department. He reportedly said the victim in the shooting, Jeffrey Moeller, was harassing him for months before he was accused of shooting him. Moeller's sister, however, refutes his claim. Christina Moeller said her brother had reported Wasnetsky to the Lowe's human resources office multiple times 'due to ongoing concerns.' 'To our knowledge, the individual had been making troubling comments directed at Jeffrey,' she said in a GoFundMe. 'Despite Jeffrey's repeated reports, nothing was done.' Wasnetsky is accused of shooting Moeller in an unprovoked attack as the victim operated machinery, according to a criminal complaint obtained by The Times-Tribune. Police said Moeller asked for help when he fell to the ground, so Wasnetsky shot him two more times 'so he wouldn't suffer,' WVIA reported. Moeller was shot once in his back and twice in the head, according to a coroner's report obtained by WNEP. 'There was no altercation. No argument. Jeffrey was simply doing his job — the job he loved — and his life was stolen from him,' the victim's sister said in the GoFundMe. Wasnetsky turned himself in after he called 911 to report the shooting, according to WNEP. 'I'd like to report a shooting at Dickson City Lowe's,' he said during his 911 call, the news outlet reported. 'I was the person that did it.' Police said Moeller, who was found 'in a large pool of blood,' was pronounced dead in a hospital, according to WOLF. Wasnetsky told officers he had filed complaints of harassment against Moeller, but those claims were unfounded, according to the news outlet. Originally charged with multiple counts of aggravated assault, Wasnetsky now faces upgraded charges of first- and third-degree murder, police said. He was jailed in Lackawanna County without bail. Moeller was a father to three daughters, according to his sister, who called him a 'devoted' dad. 'Once they were all in school, he took on night shifts at Lowe's so he could still be present with his girls during the day,' his sister said on GoFundMe. 'That's just the kind of man he was — loyal, dedicated, and full of love for his family.' Scranton is about a 125-mile drive northwest from Philadelphia.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Yahoo
50-year-old woman seriously injured in Brown Co. rollover crash
BROWN COUNTY (KSNT) – A 50-year-old woman was seriously injured in a rollover crash in Brown County between Hiawatha and Horton on Wednesday. At 11:12 p.m., a 16-year-old girl was driving a Chevy Silverado southbound on U74 when the vehicle left the road, went into a ditch and rolled. The vehicle came to rest on its driver's side, according to a Kansas Highway Patrol crash log. Fort Riley museums may close amid Army's operational review A passenger of the vehicle, a 50-year-old woman, was seriously injured and taken to an area hospital for treatment. The KHP reported that all three occupants of the vehicle were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash. For more crime news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Yahoo
3 injured in fiery crash in Sandusky County: OSHP
BALLVILLE TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WJW) – The Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating after a fiery crash in Sandusky County left three people injured on Wednesday. The crash happened on South River Road, south of Buckland Avenue in Ballville Township just after 5 p.m. According to state troopers, a 2003 Chevy Silverado was heading north on South River Road when the driver 'failed to negotiate a curve in the roadway' and went left-of-center, side-swiping a 2007 Chevy Silverado heading south. How to get your unclaimed funds in Ohio, step by step The driver, a 24-year-old Findlay woman, then reportedly went off the west side of the road, hitting two traffic signs before getting back on. She then went off the east side of the road and hit two trees, causing the pickup truck to catch fire, OSHP said. According to state troopers, the driver of the other vehicle, a 23-year-old Helena man, was able to pull her from the pickup before it became completely engulfed in flames. The 2003 Silverado driver suffered from serious injuries in the crash. She was taken to Saint Vincent's Medical Center and investigators said she's in stable condition. Suspect in custody after young mother killed in Cleveland Metroparks shooting A passenger in the 2003 Silverado, identified as a 25-year-old Fremont man, was able to escape the fiery vehicle on his own. He was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Neither of them were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash, OSHP reported. The 2007 Silverado driver suffered from minor injuries, state troopers said. He was reportedly wearing a seat belt. According to the state patrol, alcohol is believed to be a factor in the crash, which remains under investigation at this time. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
