Posted on: October 22, 2026 02:30 PM

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Pennsylvania man sentenced to 23 years to life in prison for 2025 murder outside Bethpage hotel

Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced that a Pennsylvania man was sentenced to 23 years to life in prison for shooting and killing a 35-year-old Florida man outside a Bethpage hotel in 2025.

Sgroilin Santana, 23, of Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty on September 15, 2026, before Judge Robert Bogle to charges of Murder in the Second Degree (an A-I felony); Attempted Murder in the Second Degree (a B violent felony); and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree (a C violent felony).

Santana was sentenced today to 23 years to life in prison.

“Sgroilin Santana used cold-blooded violence to settle an argument that did not even involve him and stole the life of beloved husband and father Jorge Vazquez,” said DA Donnelly. “The defendant attempted to evade the consequences by fleeing the state, but our commitment to justice does not stop at Nassau County’s border. I want to thank our local police and law enforcement partners in Pennsylvania for their relentless work tracking down this dangerous fugitive and ensuring he was brought back to answer for his crimes. He will now serve the lengthy prison sentence his violent and cowardly actions deserve.”

DA Donnelly said that, on the afternoon of April 2, 2025, the defendant was driven from Pennsylvania to the Extended Stay America hotel on Oyster Bay Road in Bethpage.

The victim, 35-year-old Jorge Vazquez of Tampa, Florida, was staying at the hotel while he was working on a nearby construction project.

The defendant planned to retaliate against the victim after the victim got into a physical altercation earlier that day with Santana’s girlfriend’s father, co-defendant Alexander Garcia, 40, of Reading, Pennsylvania, who worked with the victim at the construction site.

Upon entering the parking lot of the hotel at approximately 9:30 p.m., Santana shot the victim multiple times in the torso and abdomen.

The defendant also fired shots at another individual, who was not injured, before fleeing the state with Alexander Garcia.

At approximately 9:40 p.m., the Nassau County Police Department received a 911 call for a male shot at the hotel.

When officers arrived, they located the victim lying on the sidewalk near the hotel entrance with multiple gunshot wounds. The victim was pronounced deceased at the scene.

During the investigation, detectives with NCPD’s Homicide Squad reviewed video surveillance and other evidence to identify the defendants.

Following a coordinated effort between NCPD’s Homicide Squad, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Tamaqua Police Department, the defendant was tracked down in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania on April 30, 2025.

Santana was taken into custody by members of the Pennsylvania State Police and extradited back to Nassau County on May 15, 2025.

Co-defendant Alexander Garcia was arrested in Reading, PA, on May 14, 2025, by members of the Pennsylvania State Police.

Garcia was also extradited back to Nassau County and was arraigned on May 29, 2025, on charges of Murder in the Second Degree (an A-I felony); Conspiracy in the Second Degree (a B felony); Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree (a D felony) and is currently awaiting trial.

NCDA thanks the NCPD, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Tamaqua Police Department for their assistance in locating and transporting the defendant back to Nassau County.

The case is being prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Tracy Keeton of the Homicide Bureau under the supervision of Bureau Chief Michelle Lewisohn, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for the Litigation Division Daryl Levy. The defendant is represented by Joseph Lopiccolo, Esq.

Co-defendant Alexander Garcia is represented by John Healy, Esq.

The charges are merely accusations, and Alexander Garcia is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty.

From DA