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Display for man who died in motorcycle accident on Old Niskayuna Road
LOUDONVILLE – A two-vehicle crash on Old Niskayuna Road ended the life of a 24-year-old Wynatskill man in October 2023; that much is clear, but conflict and misunderstanding over a memorial put near the site led to two arrests last week.
On October 26, 2023, Nicholas Camilli, 24, of Wyantskill, was driving his motorcycle at approximately 7:19 p.m. when he hit the side of an SUV driven by James Morrell, 79, of Loudonville.
According to the accident report obtained by Spotlight News, Morrell was traveling eastbound and turning left into his driveway. He didn’t see the oncoming motorcycle Camille was operating, speeding in excess of 120 mph, police said.
Camilli died from injuries sustained in the crash. Morrell and another passenger were not injured. The traffic report did not indicate tickets, arrests, or violations.
The following year, Camilli’s family erected a memorial on Old Niskayuna Road to honor the U.S. Marine and combat veteran, initially placing it on the Albany County right of way across from the Morrell residence. The display, which served as a constant reminder of the fatal crash, caused the Morrell family emotional distress, according to their attorney, Kevin Luibrand.
James Morrell Jr. contacted the county to request its removal. Luibrand said the county removed the memorial at least once, but it was later reinstalled. When James Jr. again reached out to the county attorney, Luibrand said he was told the county considered it legal to remove items placed in the right of way.
In an interview with WNYT, who broke this story last week, Angela Colloca, Nicholas Camilli’s mother, said the memorial was removed multiple times, but she asked and received permission from a property owner to move the memorial to private property off the roadside.
“She says, ‘I lost a son at 17-years old, I know what you’re going through,’ Colloca said to Channel 13 about the property owner, Rosemary Sneeringer. “I understand, and you can have your memorial there as long as you want it. So we did. And it got taken down again.”
It was taken down by James Jr., 51, and Megan Morrell, 43, who live nearby, Luibrand said.
“They didn’t know that it was now on private property,” he said. “They were just trying to remove the reminder, which really brought back PTSD for Jim (Sr.). This really affected him and still does.” Luibrand said the memorial at the end of his driveway would trigger it.
The memorial consisted of a flag hanger, American and Marine Corps flags, flowers and a vase, and a custom-made wooden cross.
Unbeknownst to the Morrells, when Colloca and her husband put the memorial back up, they placed a trail camera nearby and put tracking devices inside. James Jr. removed the memorials on January 1. After it was replaced, Megan removed it about a week later. Then, on Jan 19, James Jr. took it down again.
The items were disposed of at a car dealership in Latham and in a garbage can on Clinton Avenue in Albany. Colloca also released videos of the Morrells allegedly taking the items to Channel 13, which were broadcast.
“They had no idea, and we just got lucky. They had no idea that we were recording and had trackers in them. Nicholas’s stepfather and I have spared no expense,” Colloca said. “We will continue to spare no expense. Nicholas deserves justice. He was a good, good boy. He did not deserve this.”
According to the police report, James Jr. and Megan took the items between 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Camilli’s family filed a complaint with Colonie police, who investigated the claims. James Jr. and Megan turned themselves in to Colonie police on Monday, April 7, and were charged with three counts of petit larceny, a misdemeanor.
Both were released with an appearance ticket for Colonie Town Court on Wednesday, April 23.
