NYC Tow Operator Killed

47-year-old Carlos Santiago was struck and killed on the Long Island Expressway around 3:30 a.m. by an alleged drunk driver while trying to hitch a Nissan Sedan onto his tow truck.  

Santiago, nicknamed “Campy,” was known to “look out” for others. One family member said, “We were told that my uncle pushed the driver out of the way.”  

Santiago, who worked for Knights Towing, had 3 children, a girlfriend, a brother and parents in Puerto Rico. “He was a big old teddy bear. He wanted everyone to succeed,” Santiago’s daughter, Destiny said of her father: “He would let himself fall, so everyone else could rise up.” 

28-year-old Denzel Porter, who struck Santiago in his Dodge Durango, was taken into custody and is facing a number of charges including vehicular manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, vehicular assault and driving while ability impaired charges. 

On Saturday evening, dozens of mourners gathered at Knights Towing in Brooklyn, creating a makeshift memorial with a floral wreath framing his portrait and over a dozen candles lit below. Campy’s friends also gathered outside Queens Criminal Court for the arraignment of Denzel Porter. 

https://www.nydailynews.com/