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[Dalek]

Hit-and-run victim's upper torso found in suspect's car; driver claims, 'I didn't hit anyone,' police say

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.

more at the link...

 

[Newt]

"I'm not a bad person."

I need to start using that. That's like, the worst excuse you could come up with.

 

[Dark_AnNiaLatOr]

the fuck? That is bizarre and very messed up.

 

[Delta Assault]

We really need those Google cars soon.

 

[Psyrgery ES]

Jesus christ man, that's fucked up.

How high must be the speed be to rip someone's torso? Shouldn't that kind of crash partly destroy the front side of the car?

Jeez

EDIT: Yep, the car took severe damage up front, I thought it would be far worse. Fucked up, really.

 

[Freedom = $1.05]

you know, he would've stopped. he's not a bad person

you guys need to lay off of him already

 

[Exr]

Did she died

 

[BeatResetsTheWorld]

I hope he gets life. Someone like this doesn't need to be among normal people

 

[alterno69]

Holy shit, if i saw this in a movie i'd call bullshit. The stuff of nightmares.

 

[No Love]

What a piece of fucking shit

 

[FelixOrion]

Lehigh County Coroner Scott Grim

What a name+job combo

 

[Wanace]

The coroner's name is Scott Grim.

 

[Ferrio]

Worst hangover ever.

 

[Acinixys]

Jesus christ man, that's fucked up.

How high must be the speed be to rip someone's torso? Shouldn't that kind of crash partly destroy the front side of the car?

Suprisingly not very fast

Maybe 30 MHP max? Humans are really soft and squishy compared to cars

 

[Holmes]

I'm confused. He hit the victim and fled the scene, how did part of the body get in his passanger side floor?

 

[jblank83]

That's like, the worst excuse you could come up with.

Or the best?

 

[Big Chungus]

dont drink and drive

 

[Clockwork]

I'm confused. He hit the victim and fled the scene, how did part of the body get in his passanger side floor?

Through the windshield maybe?

 

[Zukuu]

Everything about this story is so fucked up. I can't even imagine how the body was torn apart and how it was dragged along. Must be a terrible death. :X

Drunk driving. Fucking scum.

 

[Ventara]

That's pretty damning evidence, and he must've been really drunk to try to plead innocent. Don't drink and drive, folks.

 

[Mr. Poolman]

Maybe he didn't knew he could not do that.

He is not a bad person.

 

[Damaniel]

This sounds so much like Florida Man, that I was absolutely sure that this had to have happened in Florida. I guess that the stupid radiates to other states as well.

Also, drunk drivers are the worst thing ever. I have no sympathy for those who would put people at such risk because they're too damn cheap or stupid to call for a cab. This guy is especially bad - literally chopping a victim in half with his car, then having the audacity to claim innocence, even with the evidence (literally) in his back seat. Throw the bastard in jail forever.

 

[GameGuru59]

That's not drunk driving, that's hammered driving. How can you be so drunk and say that, and still make it to your car?

 

[Mohonky]

Maybe he didn't knew he could not do that.

He is not a bad person.

But he DID know he couldn't do that

 

[OldAsUrSock]

We really need those Google cars soon.

Exactly, deaths like these would be prevented, but also could be prevented by this guy not getting a licence which is far too easy to do.

 

[Delta Assault]

Exactly, deaths like these would be prevented, but also could be prevented by this guy not getting a licence which is far too easy to do.

I guess in the future, getting a license will revolve around knowing how to operate an Android device.

 

[ReturnOfTheRAT]

I'm trying to visualize this.

 

[family_guy]

Man. If that happened to me I'd be vomiting uncontrollably like in that Family Guy skit.

 

[hockeypuck]

Drunk driving is pretty much the reason why I'm getting paid an additional $60,000/year on top of my base salary.

 

[AJLma]

Awww man, this story is terrible all around. He probably saw the aftermath and completely freaked the fuck out....

 

[UpperCaseN]

I grew up about 30 min away from there. Allentown is a real scary place

 

[Metaphoreus]

Drunk driving. Fucking scum.

Yup.

 

[Permanently A]

Well, he turned himself in, at least. He was probably too intoxicated to even realize that he hit someone.

 

[PS_GUY]

Wow..this is so gruesome..I'm having a hard time understanding how the victim's torso ended up in his car? Did he pick it up and put it there? Or did it end up in his car as a result of the crash?

So f#*ked up!

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

So I'm imagining two scenarios where the torso got into the car

A), at the point of impact, it simply flew through the portion of the car window that was damaged

or

B) it was stuck on the front of the car, he (or his friend) got out at some point down the road and moved it into the car.

Considering he was found with blood on his pant leg, I'm leaning towards B. That's disturbing. He was either ridiculously pissy drunk, which makes him a terrible person for driving in those conditions, or he's completely disassociated himself from the crime, which makes him mentally unstable.