Joseph Savarino, the grandson of Hall of Fame basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, faces a driving while impaired (DWI) charge following a weekend collision that claimed the life of a 15-year-old boy.
The Durham Police Department confirmed that Savarino’s SUV struck Jack O’Shea, 15, on Saturday, April 18, at the intersection of Cole Mill Road and Wyndham Lane. O’Shea, who was riding an e-bike at the time of the incident, was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to court records obtained by local affiliates WRAL and WNCN, police administered a breathalyzer test to Savarino at approximately 12:45 a.m. on Sunday. Results indicated a 0.11 blood alcohol concentration (BAC), significantly exceeding North Carolina’s legal limit of 0.08.
Investigators stated that Savarino admitted to consuming alcohol prior to operating the vehicle. Following the incident, a judge set Savarino’s bond at $100,000 and ordered the immediate surrender of his driver’s license during a Monday court appearance.
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The victim’s mother, Allison Bickel O’Shea, identified her son in a public statement, describing the 15-year-old as an athletic and bright student at Immaculate Conception Church. Jack had reportedly spent his final day playing a double-header with his high school baseball team before going on his routine afternoon bike ride.
“We will never understand why his time here was so short… but we have to hold onto our faith that he is now our angel,” O’Shea wrote.
This incident marks the second high-profile legal matter involving the Krzyzewski family in recent years. In 2022, Joseph’s brother, Michael Savarino, pleaded guilty to a DWI charge while playing for the Duke University basketball team under his grandfather’s leadership.
Mike Krzyzewski, widely known as “Coach K,” retired in 2022 after a historic 42-season tenure at Duke. Representatives for the Krzyzewski family have not yet issued a formal statement regarding the charges.
Savarino is scheduled for his next court appearance on the morning of May 20, 2026. The investigation into the circumstances of the crash remains ongoing.
