Huntington Station resident Victor Santos dies after he is arrested, officials say

A 62-year-old man who was wanted by Suffolk police on a parole warrant died after he fled police and became unresponsive while he was being arrested in Huntington Station, police said Wednesday. 

Victor Santos, of Huntington Station, allegedly ran from police Tuesday afternoon at Alfred J. Walker Memorial Park, became unresponsive after he was handcuffed and died at a hospital, police said in a news release. 

The state attorney general's office, which examines all police-custody deaths in which an officer may have caused the death of a prisoner, has been notified, police said.

The attorney general's Office of Special Investigation, which is tasked with determining whether a full investigation is warranted, is conducting a preliminary assessment. The Suffolk Homicide Squad is also investigating, the department said. 

Suffolk police said the incident began at about 1:20 p.m. Tuesday when Second Precinct Anti-Crime officers approached Santos during a patrol check at the park on West 11th Street.

The officers recognized Santos and "after a records check it was determined he was wanted for a parole warrant," police said. 

Santos allegedly ran from police and witnesses pointed to a grassy area where police said he was hiding in the area of the South Huntington Water District on Fifth Avenue South. 

Police said an officer told Santos, who was facedown, not to move and he was handcuffed. Police said when he was turned over — they didn't specify how long he was facedown — he was unresponsive and they began administering CPR, gave him Narcan and used an automated external defibrillator in attempting to revive him. 

Santos was taken to Huntington Hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said. They did not provide the time of death.

Attempts by Newsday to reach Santos' family were unsuccessful. 

Santos turned 62 on Nov. 2, according to public records. Police did not say what charges Santos was paroled on, but state correction records show he's been convicted of burglary, rape and conspiracy charges, for which he received a 12- to 25-year sentence. He was paroled in 2024, records show. 

By Nicole Fuller

nicole.fuller@newsday.com@NicoleFuller

Nicole Fuller is Newsday's senior criminal justice reporter. She began working at Newsday in 2012 and previously covered local government.