A New Britain man with a lengthy criminal record was arraigned in Superior Court on Thursday for a fatal hit-and-run that took the life of a 62-year-old woman.
New Britain police say they responded to South Main Street around 9:15 p.m. Wednesday after a report of a woman, identified as Brenda Catucci, in the road. She was taken to the hospital where she later died.
The driver, identified as Sam Harris, 25, left the scene, according to police.
A video posted to Facebook the night of the hit-and-run shows Harris behind the wheel of his car with a broken windshield. In the video, he blames the shattered glass on the cold temperatures outside.
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“Guess it’s getting really cold,” he says in the video.
Police tell NBC Connecticut that video is part of their investigation, and their traffic division has obtained it.
Shortly after the crash, Harris was arrested. In court Thursday, prosecutors said he has a criminal record dating back to 2017, including a reckless driving charge.
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A judge issued Harris’ bond at $1 million.
“I was broke actually. I don’t know what to say. It’s so sad,” said Nitesh Raj, whose family runs the convenience store near where Catucci was killed.
Raj said she frequented the store and was well-known in the neighborhood. Customers have been coming in following the crash upset about her passing, he said.
“She just lives across that road. She’s very friendly girl, a friendly lady, a very beautiful human being. She’s friendly to all, she sits over there, she chit chats. She’s very friendly to everyone here,” Raj said. “She knows everybody. She’s a very good lady, she’s popular here.”
NBC Connecticut reached out to an attorney for Harris, but was told by the New Britain Public Defender’s Office that they were unavailable.
