A Ukrainian national who came to the United States as a refugee — and who has a drunk driving conviction — has been charged with the deaths of five U.S. Marine Corps Veterans and two of their loved ones after allegedly causing a crash in Randolph, New Hampshire, last week.
Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, a 23-year-old refugee from Ukraine, was charged this week with seven counts of negligent homicide for allegedly killing five U.S. Marine Corps Veterans and two of their loved ones on Friday, June 21, when his trailer hitched to his pickup truck hit the motorcyclists.
The victims were riding motorcycles together as members of the Jarheads Motorcycle Club, a group of U.S. Marine Corps Veterans, their spouses, and loved ones. The victims killed in the crash include:
- 62-year-old Michael Ferazzi of Contoocook, New Hampshire
- 59-year-old Albert Mazza of Lee, New Hampshire
- 58-year-old Daniel Pereira of Riverside, Rhode Island
- 58-year-olds Jo-Ann & Edward Corr of Lakeville, Massachusetts
- 42-year-old Desma Oakes of Concord, New Hampshire
- 45-year-old Aaron Perry of Farmington, New Hampshire
A law enforcement official confirmed to Breitbart News that Zhukovskyy originally entered the U.S. on September 18, 2006, as a refugee from Ukraine. Recently, his father told the Boston Herald, the Ukranian national was able to secure a green card and adjust his refugee status in 2008 to become a permanent legal resident.
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency have a detainer on Zhukovskyy requesting that he be turned over to federal immigration officials should he be released from prison at any time.
Criminal records obtained by the Boston Herland indicate that Zhukovskyy had multiple run-ins with the law dating back seven years.
In 2013, Zhukovskyy was convicted of drunk driving and had his driver’s license suspended for 210 days as well as being placed on probation after being arrested. At the time, he was called an “immediate threat” by state officials. In 2017, Zhukovskyy was convicted on drug charges including heroin and cocaine. ICE officials have requested additional information on this particular case.
On May 11, Zhukovskyy was arrested in East Windsor, Connecticut, after he failed a sobriety test. Despite being arrested for drunk driving again, the Ukrainian national’s driver’s license had yet to be suspended and was valid when he crashed and allegedly killed the seven motorcyclists.
The victims’ families and loved ones are now mourning the loss of their friends. Jarheads Motorcycle Club President Manny Ribeiro struggled to hold back tears when speaking of his friends who were killed.
“This is far worse than anything I’ve ever experienced in my life,” Ribeiro said, according to CBS Boston. “It was like nothing I’ve ever seen in my life. It was awful.”
“We’re like family,” Manny Ribeiro’s wife, Valerie, said. “It’s not just a bunch of guys on bikes.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money for the victims’ families. Readers can donate here.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.