DURHAM, N.C. — A grandson of retired Duke University men’s basketball coaching legend Mike Krzyzewski is now facing felony charges after he collided with a 15-year-old boy who was riding an electric bicycle last month. The teen later died.
Joseph Savarino, 26, of Durham, North Carolina, faces charges of felony death by motor vehicle, involuntary manslaughter and failure to reduce speed, WRAL reported.
Savarino was initially facing a misdemeanor DWI charge after the collision, which occurred at an intersection in Durham, North Carolina, shortly after 9 p.m. ET on April 18, according to WRAL.
Krzyzewski's grandson, Joseph Savarino, now facing felony charge in death of Durham teen on e-bike https://t.co/NQlev3XmH5
— ABC11 EyewitnessNews (@ABC11_WTVD) May 21, 2026
According to Durham police, Savarino was driving a Ford Explorer north on Cole Mill Road when he hit Jack O’Shea, who was riding an electronic bicycle. Police said the teen, who was a freshman student-athlete at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh, died at the scene, WTVD reported.
According to the Durham Police Department, Savarino admitted to drinking, ESPN reported. A Breathalyzer test measured his blood-alcohol concentration at 0.11%, according to Durham County court records. The legal limit in North Carolina is 0.08%.
[ Mike Krzyzewski’s grandson accused of DWI in collision that killed teen on e-bike ]
Savarino posted $100,000 and was later released from Durham County custody, The Raleigh News & Observer reported.
Debbie Savarino, who is Krzyzewski’s daughter, is an assistant athletic director at Duke.
Savarino’s brother, Michael Savarino, was charged in 2022 with DWI and sentenced to 12 months of probation, according to WRAL.
Krzyzewski, 79, won five national championships while leading Duke from 1980 to 2022 and reached the Final Four 13 times.
He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001, and also coached the U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team to three gold medals.
An investigation into the crash is ongoing, police said.
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