Police say they have arrested at least one of the men responsible for murdering a longtime Bronx cab driver and father of three who lived in North Fordham.
On late Tuesday afternoon, police said they had arrested 19-year-old Hosny Hernandez of University Heights and charged him with the murder of Cesar Santos, 48, who was gunned down after chasing down two fare beaters in Kingsbridge Heights.
Police said they received a tip that led to the arrest of Hernandez, who they identified from available surveillance video. The mayor’s office was offering a $10,000 award on top of the NYPD’s $2,000 for information leading to an arrest in Santos’ murder nearly two weeks ago.
Police sources added that they believed Hernandez was the shooter and that they are still looking for another 18 to 20-year-old Hispanic male in connection with the crime.
Sources also said they believed the second suspect is still hiding out in the surrounding area.
Hernandez had been arrested at least twice previously for minor crimes, police said.
According to witnesses, Santos, a Dominican immigrant who had driven a cab in the Bronx for the past 11 years, dropped off two young Hispanic men near Our Lady of Angels Church on Sedgwick Avenue just a few minutes before 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 6.
When the two men jumped out of the cab without paying, witnesses said Santos chased after them, leaving his car double parked.
In the process of running after the two suspects down stairs that lead to Kingsbridge Terrace, witnesses said one of them pulled out a gun and shot Santos in the stomach.
One witness said, “[Santos] was fine when he got shot at the top of the stairs, and he walked from the stairs back to his cab.”
Soon after the shooting, somebody ran into Our Lady of Angels to alert the pastor, Father Vincent Druding.
“So I ran outside and found this scene. The ambulance had already arrived and they were attending to him, and I went over and I went and prayed over him and with him and he was still conscious. His name was Cesar,” Druding said.
“I asked him if he was Catholic,” the priest continued. “I offered him the Sacrament of the Church, offered to the very sick or at the hour of death. The paramedics were unsure [if he would live] because it was an internal wound. He was shot point blank.”
The priest would run back to the church for a prayer book and some oils. “By the grace of God he was still there and I was able to anoint him and give him the prayers of the church,” also known as the, “Apostolic Pardon.”
Santos was then rushed to St. Baranabas Hospital, where he stabilized for a time, but ultimately would not survive the gunshot wound.
Santos, who left behind a wife and three kids, was living in an apartment on the Grand Concourse, near Kingsbridge Road.
“He was a nice guy and he never had any trouble,” said Ramon Florez, a manager for Excellent Car Services, the company where Santos worked. “He minded his own business.”