Nastasi Gets 10 Years

There was a guilty plea Thursday in a crash that killed thee women at a Mt. Ephraim McDonald's two years ago.

Frank R. Nastasi Sr., 54, had been charged with three counts of aggravated manslaughter in the May 2002 deaths, but Thursday he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of vehicular homicide.

The plea agreement calls for Nastasi to spend 10 years in jail and he will have to serve at least 8 1/2 years before being eligible for parole.

Originally, the state was going to present evidence from a statement that Nastasi was intending to commit suicide by crashing into the McDonald's, but Thursday he told the court a different story.

The Haddon Heights man said he awoke about 4 a.m. that day from a dream in which his father was ill. He then decided to drive to his father's home about four blocks away. Nastasi said that as he raced to the home, he missed a turn and lost control of his wife's Cadillac.

The car slammed into the McDonald's at a speed authorities say may have topped 100 mph, killing employees Joann Bowen, Cynthia Molino and Nancy King.

Three other workers inside the restaurant survived. Nastasi walked away from the crash with no serious injuries.

When asked by the defense Thursday if he lost control of the car or drove intentionally into the restaurant, Nastasi said, "I lost control of the car."

One man, whose wife died in the crash, told NBC 10 News he had hoped Nastasi would get at least 30 years in jail.

Nastasi is out of jail on $375,000 bail until he is formally sentenced.

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