Duo Charged After Teen's Fatal Fall From SUV Are Identified

EAST FISHKILL, NY — The Dutchess County District Attorney's Office has identified the two teens charged with manslaughter Wednesday in the death of a third teen thrown from the outside of a SUV they were driving. Both are East Fishkill residents.

They are Anthony Puccio, 17, and Paul Mauro, 16, Anthony Parisi, bureau chief for the District Attorney's Office, told the Daily Voice.

The dead teen is Wilson Santiago, 15, a Wappinger resident and student at John Jay High School in East Fishkill.

At 4:10 p.m. Dec. 12, a state trooper in a patrol car on Clove Branch Road saw Santiago clinging to the passenger side of an SUV as it went in the opposite direction near Henry Drive in Hopewell Junction.

The patrol car turned around to follow and came upon Santiago in the roadway. The SUV drove away. The trooper stopped.

"New York State Police and the Town of East Fishkill Police quickly joined forces to unravel the sequence of events that led to Wilson's death," said State Police Captain John Ryan.

Puccio and Mauro were found later and arrested.

Puccio is in Dutchess County Jail in lieu of $200,000 bail or $400,000 bond. His next court date is Jan. 2.

Mauro, who now is in the juvenile justice system, was held at the Capital District juvenile detention center on $150,000 bail or $300,000 bond. He is due in youth court Jan. 2.

"As a police officer, you never get used to seeing such tragedy," Ryan said, calling the incident "heartbreaking."

SEE: 15-Year-Old Dies, 2 Teens Charged With Manslaughter: NYSP