2 Sentenced For Harrison, New Rochelle Apartment Break-Ins

HARRISON, NY — Two New York City men accused of two interrupted burglaries in Westchester County were sentenced to prison Wednesday for breaking into homes in Harrison and New Rochelle. Westchester County Court Judge David Zuckerman presided.

Steven Santiago, of Manhattan, and Ivan Bonilla, of the Bronx, were each found guilty by a jury in May on:

• Two counts of Burglary in the Second Degree, class C violent felonies
• Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, a class E felony
• Attempted Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, a class A misdemeanor

In court Wednesday, the victim of the Harrison break-in, Sandra Lattanzio, read a statement that reflected the impact the crime had on her after she walked in on the men ransacking her home. “Every time I put my key in the door I have a feeling of dread and I relive the whole experience. I have not felt safe in my home since you violated my space.”

Santiago, as a persistent violent felon, was given 20 years to life for each of the two burglary counts, Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. announced. The sentences will run concurrently. Sentences for the two lesser charges also will be served concurrently.

Bonilla was sentenced to 10 years in state prison for each of the two burglaries to run consecutively. Sentences for the two lesser charges will be served concurrently.

On June 11, 2018, the two 31-year-olds broke into Lattanzio's apartment on Halstead Avenue. She interrupted the burglary in progress and both men jumped out of a second-floor window. One suffered a broken bone and both traveled to St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx.

Harrison Police scoured town surveillance video and immediately identified the getaway car. This information led them to the registered owner who provided GPS information. The GPS, along with surveillance video and DNA evidence both at the scene and at the hospital, helped identify them.

Investigators connected the two to a similar apartment burglary that had taken place in New Rochelle May 29 at 39 Fountain Place.

The duo entered through the front door but escaped using a rear fire escape where they were observed by an apartment dweller. GPS and license plate readers in New Rochelle corroborated their involvement.

Detectives with Harrison Police led the investigations leading to the arrest and prosecution of these two. Assistant District Attorneys Daniel Flecha and Christine O’Connor, Deputy Division Chief of the Supreme Court Trial Division, prosecuted the case.

SEE:

Two Charged In Harrison Burglary