Medford man indicted for manslaughter in Middle Island DWI crash

DA says Noah Slusser, 21, was drunk, high and speeding when he hit a parked Toyota where a Holtsville dad was sitting

A Medford man accused of driving drunk and high before plowing into a parked car in Middle Island and killing a Holtsville father has been indicted on a second-degree manslaughter charge, Suffolk prosecutors said.

At his arraignment before Acting Supreme Court Justice Philip Goglas, Noah Slusser, 21, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to manslaughter and other charges relating to the Aug. 27 crash that killed James Baldassarri, 44 (pictured above).

“Drunk and drugged drivers kill too many Suffolk citizens, when they could simply call a ride share,” Suffolk District Attorney Raymond Tierney said. “This driver is alleged to have driven under the influence of both alcohol and drugs, at excessive speed, before crashing into a parked car and killing James Baldassarri, who was simply sitting in his car.”

Slusser was driving a 2017 Ford Taurus south on Wilson Avenue at a high rate of speed just after midnight when he veered into a marked shoulder lane on the residential street and crashed into a parked 2025 Toyota Crown near Adams Lane, prosecutors said.

Baldassarri was sitting inside the Toyota and suffered a serious brain injury. He was rushed to Stony Brook University Hospital for emergency surgery and died the next day.

Responding officers saw signs that Slusser was drunk and arrested him at the scene, prosecutors said. He was initially charged with driving while intoxicated and pleaded not guilty at Suffolk First District Court in Central Islip.

The indictment now charges Slusser with second-degree manslaughter, second-degree vehicular manslaughter, second-degree assault, driving while intoxicated; driving while impaired by drugs; driving while impaired by the combined influence of alcohol and drugs; and reckless driving.

Goglas ordered Slusser held on $250,000 cash, $500,000 bond or a $1.5 million partially secured bond, and suspended his license. He faces five to 15 years in prison if convicted of the top count.

Slusser is due back in court Nov. 17.

A second person inside the Toyota, Crystal Springman, 27, of Middle Island, was taken to NYU Langone Hospital – Suffolk with injuries that were not life-threatening, Suffolk Police said at the time of the crash.

Baldassarri left behind his wife, Melanie, and a daughter. In a Facebook post after his death, his sister, Jeanine, remembered him as the fun uncle who always made the family laugh.

“You were the kindest person I knew, not a bad bone in your body,” she wrote.

_{Top: GLI file photo of Suffolk Police car and Facebook image of James Baldassari.}

Read our previous coverage: Holtsville dad dies from injuries in Middle Island DWI crash, Medford man arrested