Sanitation workers caught on video backing into SUV, fleeing

 
Bill Lyons/Staten Island AdvanceDenial is an anagram for Mario Fugallo's Denali, and it's not just a river in Egypt, it's what the Department of Sanitation seems to be evincing in respect of damage its workers did to SUV.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Two of New York's Strongest earned a different title -- New York's Slimiest -- after they clobbered an SUV parked in Great Kills with their city garbage truck, surveyed the damage and scurried off.

The SUV's owner, Mario Fugallo, caught the action on two separate surveillance cameras, but a month later, the city still hasn't made good on the $3,000-plus damage, he told the Advance.
Surveillance footage shot on a Great Kills block recorded a Sanitation truck smacking into a parked SUV."The Sanitation Department is telling me that they need a license number and a truck number," said the Fugallo, 53, a network engineer with AT&T. "This is plain as day. Why should I have to provide them with a lot of information, when they should be providing me with information?"
He added, "You don't know who's on what route? That's a shame."
The episode happened about 7:20 a.m. Feb. 2, at the end of Doane Avenue, where Fugallo lives.
The garbage truck is seen backing up slowly down the dead-end block, and a city Sanitation worker dumps a trash can into it.
Then, a few seconds later, the truck backs up again. Only this time, it lurches backwards, slamming into Fugallo's 2009 GMC Yukon Denali parked at the end of the block.
The driver comes out to survey the damage, then the two workers hustle to finish their pickups before driving off.
After viewing the footage, Sanitation Department spokesman Keith Mellis said the agency would launch a full investigation into what happened and the identity of the workers in the video.

Surveillance video shows Sanitation workers back into SUV

"The Department of Sanitation thanks the Staten Island Advance for sharing this surveillance video of the alleged accident involving this specific car," Mellis said. "A copy of the video has been turned over to the department's investigative division. Meanwhile, the owner of the car should file a claim with the NYC comptroller's office."

Vaughn Bellocchio, the owner of The Polishing Pad body shop in Elm Park, said the rear bumper and tailgate were both crushed, and the vehicle's wheels needed re-alignment.

"His insurance paid over $3,000 for the claim, and he had a $500 deductible," Bellocchio said.

There's no damage apparent on the front of the truck, Bellocchio said, though he suspects there will be consequences that will come to light only later.

"That had to affect other parts of the car," he said.

Fugallo bought the Denali in January and has taken very good care of it, said his wife, Daun, 47.

"He loves his truck. This is his baby," she said, adding, "What killed him was they got out and looked at it."

Exclaimed Fugallo, "It's not like they didn't know it happened. ... It's a moral thing. You don't put damage on people's property and just walk away from it."