Marblehead teenager Oscar Galante has been indicted as a youthful offender in the Aug. 19 car crash that killed 13-year-old Savanah Gatchell, also of Marblehead.
Galante, whose brother, James, died in a single car crash on the Causeway in March 2022, will be arraigned on one count of motor vehicle homicide by reckless operation in the Lynn session of the Essex County Juvenile Court at 9 a.m. Friday, Jan. 16.
Investigators say Oscar Galante was driving with Gatchell as his passenger when he crashed his car into a stone wall near 352 Atlantic Ave. just before 3 a.m.
According to the youthful offender indictment, obtained by the Current, Galante operated his vehicle recklessly and “did cause the death of Savanah Gatchell.”
Reached for comment, one of Galante’s attorneys, Joseph Dever, declined to comment.
The district attorney initially charged a then-16-year-old boy in the deadly crash. Because he was charged as a juvenile, his identity was not released, in accordance with state law. The charges then included motor vehicle homicide by reckless operation, receiving a stolen motor vehicle, operating under the influence of liquor and two civil motor vehicle infractions.
Despite his identity being withheld, the suspect’s family did speak out through their lawyer.
Attorney James M. Igoe said at the time that the boy’s family was “just devastated and heartbroken” for the victim’s family.
“This is a complete, complete disaster,” Igoe said. “The (suspect’s) family is overwhelmed with grief.”
Igoe added that his client had been “treated previously for erratic behavior” and had been released shortly before the crash. Igoe did not get more specific about the timeline.
On Dec. 15, an Essex County grand jury indicted Oscar Galante as a “youthful offender” on motor vehicle homicide charges in Gatchell’s death. Under state law (G.L.c. 119, 60A), the records of a youthful offender proceeding conducted pursuant to an indictment “shall be open to public inspection in the same manner and to the same extent as adult criminal court records.”
The August crash hit Marblehead hard. Hundreds of people attended a candlelight memorial for Gatchell at Devereux Beach. Faculty at the Veterans and Marblehead High schools raised money to place a memorial bench in Gatchell’s honor outside Vets, where she was about to start eighth grade.
Parents and students met to talk about how to address the problem of underage drinking in Marblehead. An informal committee has formed with members of the Select Board, School Committee, Board of Health and Recreation and Parks Commission.
James Galante crash
Details have been scarce in the James Galante case. In response to a public records request from the Current, the State Police provided the Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, or CARS, report prepared after an investigation led by Detective Lt. Richard D. Wolanski. In Wolanski’s report, the response provided to the prompt “OUI related” was “Yes.” (See the report below.)
The cause of the crash was officially described as Galante’s “failure to maintain operational control” of the vehicle. The report lists several factors that could have contributed to his “panicked steering,” including a loose floor mat, moderate fog and “operating in excess of a safe and reasonable speed for roadway conditions.”
The report adds, “Galante’s failure to wear a seatbelt likely contributed to the severity of his injuries.”
The report notes that Detective Sean Brady served as the Marblehead Police’s primary investigator on the crash.
Police Chief Dennis King told the Current last October that, as a result of Brady’s investigation, a juvenile had been charged with furnishing alcohol to a minor in the James Galante case.
Current Consulting Editor Kris Olson contributed reporting to this article.
Editor Leigh Blander is an experienced TV, radio and print journalist.
