Guilty Plea For Fatal Crash In Diner Parking Lot: Prosecutors

WANTAGH, NY — A Wantagh man pleaded guilty on Monday to aggravated vehicular homicide for fatally striking a man in the parking lot of the On Parade Diner in Woodbury last year, prosecutors said.

Willem Specht, 63, also pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and aggravated driving while intoxicated, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said.

Specht is expected to be sentenced to seven to 15 years in prison on September 25, Donnelly said.

"Willem Specht, a recidivist drunk driver with two prior convictions, was more than two times the legal limit for alcohol when he struck and killed Joseph Devito, who was standing outside the On Parade Diner saying goodbye to his lifelong friend," Donnelly said.

At approximately 2:30 p.m. on January 18, 2023, 61-year-old Joseph Devito was standing on the sidewalk in front of the On Parade Diner, Donnelly said.

Specht, who was highly intoxicated at the time, struck Devito after rapidly reversing his car from a parking spot. Specht narrowly avoided striking Devito’s friend as well, she said.

After hitting Devito, Specht continued to drive his 2004 Infiniti G35 in reverse and drove over another sidewalk, striking a ramp and a metal fence leading into the diner. He continued in reverse and struck the exterior wall of the diner, the D.A.'s office said.

A search warrant for Specht’s blood taken at the hospital revealed that his blood alcohol content was 0.18% more than three hours after the incident, Donnelly said.