THE INITIAL REPORT WAS BASED ON LIVE SCANNER TRAFFIC DURING THE INCIDENT AND HAS SINCE BEEN UPDATED…
NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Two suspects have been arrested after an early morning car crash and attempted home invasion in New Rochelle’s West End.
The incident began when Christian Santillan, 23, drove a 2003 Silver Cadillac CTS into a parked car on Rockdale Avenue. Santillan, who police was drunk, lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a blue Nissan Sentra. The Nissan Sentra was pushed hard into a second parked vehicle, a green Jeep Cherokee Liberty, causing serious damage to the Nissan Sentra.
Santillan attempted to drive the badly damaged Cadillac CTS, gave up, exited the vehicle and ran onto property on Rockledge and then into the backyard of a house at 12 Glen Place. Santillan entered the house through a sliding glass door while a family was having breakfast.
Santillan fled the house, back towards Rockdale, where he got into a Blue Chevy Traverse SUV driven by a second suspect. The pair in the Chevy Traverse drove on Rockdale Avenue towards Kings Highway.
The 2003 Silver Cadillac CTS is registered to “C. Centellan Barrera” of 43 Warren Street, Apartment #1.
New Rochelle police were able to identify the suspect from motor vehicle information, witness statements and video recorded by a nearby surveillance camera. A photo of the suspect was sent to police officers throughout New Rochelle. Police quickly determined that in addition to 43 Warren Street, the suspect had a sister residing on Union Avenue and a girlfriend residing at Odell Place. Police set up stakeouts at all known locations and arrested both suspects around 10 a.m.
Both vehicles damaged by the silver Cadillac were customers of C & C Automative.
Larry Barksdale, a retired New Rochelle firefighter heard the crash and looked at the window of his home on Rockdale Avenue. He could hear the screeching of tires as the suspect attempted to continuing driving the vehicle. Barksdale called police to report that a person may have been injured in a car crash.
Joe Detz, seen on surveillance video, called 911 after the crash.
That call came in before the call from 12 Glen Place so that police were already responding to the area when the report of a home invasion came in. Police were re-directed to Glen Place, set up a perimeter and began a search for the suspect.
Barksdale said he observed the witness appear to give up, exit the Cadillac and enter a second vehicle, believed by police to be a Blue Chevy Traverse.
New Rochelle firefighters were called to the scene to spread quick-dry on the oils and fluids that covered the street around the area of the crash scene.
The suspect in the attempted home invasion was described by witnesses as male/hispanic, clean-shaven, short hair, heavy build, 5′ 7″ to 5′ 9″, mid-20’s, wearing blue jeans and blue polo shirt.
Since police say the suspect did not enter the home, charges would likely be trespass for the attempted home invasion and “hit and run” for the two vehicle collisions on Rockdale Avenue.
At the time of Santillan’s arrest, his blood alcohol level was reported to be .12.
Talk of the Sound has requested a full set of records from the incident and will publish an update on Tuesday with any additional details.
C & C Automotive Surveillance Video screen captures from Journal News article (linked below) and WABC Eyewitness News.
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