Hit-and-run victim's upper torso found in suspect's car; driver claims, 'I didn't hit anyone,' police say
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UPDATE: 'I hope he rots in hell,' victim's sister says of alleged hit-and-run driver who fled with her body in car
An Allentown man was arrested early Monday and charged in connection with an Airport Road hit-and-run crash that killed one woman and injured another, court records say.
Jose Antonio Santiago, 33, of the 800 block of West Chew Street, is charged with a felony count of accidents involving death or personal injury, a misdemeanor count of the same offense and a summary count of driving on roadways laned for traffic, records say.
Santiago was arraigned before District Judge Daniel Trexler and sent to Lehigh County Jail in lieu of $275,000 bail, records say. His preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled March 23.
Police reported that even though they found part of one victim's body inside his car, Santiago insisted that he didn't hit anyone. He told Pennsylvania State Police, "I would've stopped. I'm not a bad person," records say.
State police found the unattended car about 90 minutes after the crash and Santiago about two hours after that.
Santiago, who smelled of alcohol and had reddish "body matter" on his right pant leg, said he had a few alcoholic beverages at Stooges Bar in Allentown and was driving a friend home when the crash occurred, records say.
Police say Santiago was driving a silver 2003 Saab 9-5 on Airport Road shortly before 9 p.m. Sunday when he hit two women on Airport Road's eastern shoulder in the 1700 block near Airport Center Road, in Hanover Township, Lehigh County.
The vehicle struck 62-year-old Allentown resident Anna Lewis with such force that her body was severed at the waist, records say. The other pedestrian and Lewis' sister, Rosalie Carlo, 51, of Brooklyn, New York, suffered a broken wrist and other injuries in the crash.
Santiago did not stop after hitting the women and left behind his vehicle's right side mirror, the front grill, the right headlight, a portion of a window and other parts, records say. At 10:24 p.m. Sunday, a state trooper spotted a Saab with extensive front-end damage parked in the 1800 block of Cloverdale Road in Bethlehem.
The Saab was missing parts left behind at the crash scene and registered to Santiago, records say. Looking inside the vehicle, the trooper could see part of a body on the passenger-side floor, records say.
Lehigh County Coroner Scott Grim subsequently "removed the upper portion of a body" from the Saab and confirmed it was Lewis, records say.
At about 12:30 a.m. Monday, Santiago approached a trooper on Cloverdale Road, identified himself and said he owned the damaged Saab, records say. Santiago told police, "I had looked on WFMZ News and seen there was a hit-and-run accident. I didn't hit anyone. I would've stopped. I'm not a bad person," records say.
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