Norwalk Man Accused Of Driving Over 130 MPH In Recorded Video: Police

NORWALK, CT — A man accused of posting a video of himself driving over 130 mph in Norwalk to social media was arrested Tuesday, according to state police.

According to a news release, state police became aware on March 28 of videos posted to Instagram and Facebook showing the driver of a Chevrolet traveling at approximately 133 mph in an area of Route 7 in Norwalk where the posted speed limit is 55 mph.

According to state police, the approximately 18-seconds long video showed a vehicle with a Chevrolet emblem on the steering wheel accelerating from approximately 56 to 133 mph based on the car's visible speedometer.

A date and time stamp indicated the videos were likely uploaded to social media around March 27. At the time of the investigation, the Instagram and Facebook pages where the video was posted allowed for posts to be viewed by the public, state police said.

A trooper from Troop G in Bridgeport investigating the videos noticed information included in the Instagram profile used to post the video identified the user as "Joe Tavella III" and included the description "69 nova pro touring Is2 procharged," according to state police.

A Facebook account with the profile name "Joe Tavella III" featuring the man who was depicted on the Instagram account, as well as a black Chevrolet Nova classic vehicle as the profile's cover photo, was also discovered, according to state police.

The same video of the vehicle traveling on Route 7 in Norwalk had also been posted to the Facebook account, state police said.

While gathering information from the video, the trooper noted a reflection on the car's windshield area of what appeared to be a man with visible tattoos on his right arm recording the video on a phone, state police said.

While examining other images posted to the social media profiles, a picture of the same vehicle displaying a Connecticut Historical registration plate was found, state police said.

After conducting a DMV database check for the registration plate, the car was identified as a 1970 Chevrolet Nova registered to Joseph Tavella, 36, of Norwalk, according to state police.

Additionally, the man depicted in Tavella's driver's license photo matched images of the man associated with the Instagram/Facebook accounts used to post the video, state police said.

After further investigation, the trooper was able to identify a phone number associated with Tavella and contacted him on March 30. While speaking with him, troopers noticed a black Chevy Nova nearby.

During their conversations, Tavella gave troopers the vehicle's insurance information and admitted to driving the car on Route 7 and recording the video the afternoon of March 26, state police said. Investigators also confirmed the weather conditions depicted in the video were consistent with weather conditions in the Norwalk area the afternoon of March 26.

Troopers obtained a warrant for Tavella's arrest on March 31. He turned himself in Tuesday at Troop G in Bridgeport and was charged with reckless driving, operation of a motor vehicle while using a hand-held mobile telephone/electronic device and second-degree reckless endangerment.

Tavella was held on a $100,000 bond and later arraigned in Stamford, according to state police.

"Reckless driving behavior puts everyone on the roadway at risk," state police said in a news release. "Help us keep Connecticut's roadways safe by calling 911 to report reckless drivers or other emergencies as soon as it is safe to do so."