Woodbridge Man Who Drove Drunk, On Snapchat, In Fatal Crash Sentenced

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — A 25-year-old Iselin man was sentenced Friday to a maximum 25 years in prison for drunk driving at 156 miles per hour — and recording a Snapchat video — when he caused a fatal accident on New York State Thruway, killing a young woman.

The young man is Vasu Laroiya. He could be up for parole in a little over eight years, but his maximum prison sentence is 25 years.

In court Friday afternoon in Albany, New York state Judge William Little had scathing words for Laroiya:

“You’re arrogant, you’re selfish, you’re entitled," fumed the judge. "All you did was complain ... You killed someone, but you have the audacity to complain about your ankle monitor? You have the audacity to complain about going to college? I really don’t even want to see you, to be honest.”

As Patch previously reported, the fatal car crash happened May 28, 2022 (Memorial Day weekend) on the New York State Thruway/I-87 near the town of Colonie, NY: Laroiya admitted he was driving drunk — and recording a Snapchat video while driving — when he drove a Tesla at speeds of 156 miles per hour on the interstate.

At 10 p.m. on that date, he drove his Tesla into the back of a Honda Civic driven by a 22-year-old local Albany woman. Her car burst into flames.

Katie Fisher, 22, was rushed to a nearby hospital, but her parents say she likely died immediately at the crash site. She was from Ballston Spa, New York and was a junior at the University of Albany, according to her obituary. She was studying to be an elementary school teacher at the time of her death. She was driving home from a friend's house that night.

Both her father and mother spoke emotionally in court Friday. They condemned the young Woodbridge man, saying he showed "indifference" in the months since the crash.

“Her body was internally exploded," said Katie's mother, Adrianne Rickson. "Her gas tank was a quarter mile down the road (meaning the impact of the crash was so great it caused her gas tank to eject a quarter mile from the crash site). And you play the victim? I can only hope that your stay in the prison system can help you figure out what is so broken inside of you, so you can fix it."

Even assistant Albany County district attorney Mary Tanner-Richter slammed Laroiya in court Friday, saying he continues to lie repeatedly about what happened that night.

“The lies. Saying over and over that he was on auto-pilot; that was a lie. Saying he was only going about 70 to 75 miles per hour, that was a lie," said the prosecutor.

"Saying that he had one drink, the Mai Tai; that was a lie of omission," she continued. "He conveniently left out the two ultimate Long Island Iced Teas he consumed in rapid succession ... Saying another car flew by him, that phantom car, that was a lie. And saying that Katie brake-checked him; that may be one of the most offensive lies that Vasu Laroiya told. When Vasu Laroiya comes up for parole, I sincerely hope the state of New York sees what you took from this family, and takes note of your abdication of all responsibility."

The dead woman's father, Shawn Fisher, said in court:

"These intentional acts demonstrate that you don’t care about the repercussions of your behavior, and I believe that given the opportunity, you would continue to make more poor, selfish choices," "Because of your actions, I am fully convinced that you don’t care about anyone but yourself, and anything you say or do at this point is merely an attempt to avoid punishment. And despite being granted a plea deal, I will always consider you Katie’s murderer, because of your depraved indifference.”

Last November, Laroiya pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide, which is a felony.

He had previously been indicted for second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter (as well as DWI and reckless driving charges). Had he been convicted in a trial, the murder charge would have carried life in prison.

That is why Laroiya took the plea deal to a lesser charge of vehicular homicide.

This is not his first drunk driving offense: He also has a previous alcohol-related conviction while driving in New Jersey in 2019.

Laroiya is a former Rutgers student.

When he gets out of prison, he may permanently his driver's license, or he may have to have an ignition interlock device permanently installed on his car. That will be decided by a judge upon his prison release, when he is up for parole in eight years.

Prior: Iselin Man Admits Driving Drunk, On Snapchat In 156 MPH Fatal Crash (Nov. 2023)