DELHI – A Delaware County man has pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter tied to the electrocution death of a volunteer firefighter who came to help him after he drunkenly crashed into a utility pole.
Joseph E. Bellows Jr., 55, also pleaded guilty Tuesday to driving while intoxicated to resolve the case a little over a year since he was arrested, according to Delaware County District Attorney Shawn J. Smith.
On July 17, 2025, Bellows was driving drunk on Route 30 in Hancock, about 50 miles west of Binghamton, when he hit a utility pole and it snapped. Electric wires fell to the ground, leaving Bellows trapped in his car.
Jason T. McGlone, an assistant chief with the East Branch Fire Department, went to the scene at 9:30 p.m. A wire became entangled with his pumper rescue truck, causing the 51-year-old’s death when he stepped out of the metal-clad vehicle, State Police said.
Bellows was sent to Delaware Valley Hospital. The middle-aged man, who has faced alcohol-related arrests in Virginia and Washington D.C. in the past, was arrested afterwards and indicted by a grand jury.
Before entering his guilty plea, Bellows admitted that his drunk driving led to the death of McGlone. He faces up to seven years in prison when he’s sentenced on Sept. 22.
“This was not an ‘ordinary’ drunk driving fatality, and obtaining this conviction required a very detailed and comprehensive investigation into the defendant’s history,” said Smith in a statement. “There is no way that we could ever replace the loss suffered by Mr. McGlone’s family, but I hope that it brings them some comfort knowing that the defendant was held accountable.”
Bellows’ attorney, Kevin O’Brien, told the Times Union that his client chose to plead guilty to avoid a trial and lessen the amount of time he’ll be away from his parents. O’Brien has argued that his client has a traumatic brain injury that may have prompted him to get into the car while intoxicated, arguing Bellows was not responsible for the death.
“Obviously, DA Smith has a different opinion, but I don’t think that’s what (the law) was intended for,” O’Brien said.
McGlone, a Long Island native, was a 25-year member of the East Branch Fire Department. He left behind his wife, CaroleAnn Gilmore McGlone, son Michael McGlone and daughter Addaleen McGlone.
Upon his death, Gov. Kathy Hochul had said he “represented the very best of what New Yorkers give to their communities in the name of public safety.”
He has since been honored by the Delaware County Board of Supervisors and was inducted into the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Honor Roll.
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This article originally published at Delaware County man pleads guilty, admits his drunk driving lead to firefighter’s death.
