A man already convicted of killing a New City, New York couple in a Xanax-impaired crash was taken into custody in Hackensack, according to police. Matthew Sindone, 33, now faces two counts of burglary and one count of robbery stemming from the incident.
Daily Voice, which first reported the arrest, described the incident. The case includes two burglary charges and one robbery charge, though available records do not detail the specific circumstances or identify a victim.
Following the arrest, Sindone faced the robbery and burglary charges. The supplied sources do not establish his pre-trial-release or current custody status.
A Deadly Crash Fueled by Xanax
Sindone's arrest carries extra weight because of what happened nearly a decade earlier in New City. He was sent to prison for aggravated vehicular homicide after driving through a red light and striking another vehicle, killing Neil Block, 69, and Aline Block, 68, in 2017. The couple were struck while driving their Toyota Camry when Sindone ran the light in a Lincoln MKT, according to a Facebook post from June 2017 detailing the crash's aftermath.
Per authorities, Sindone admitted using Xanax and Klonopin in the hours before the crash. Forensic blood analysis following the crash showed a blood concentration of 1,500 ng/mL of Xanax, according to the Rockland County Times Newspaper, and officers also recovered Xanax from his pocket at the hospital. The available sources do not establish any prior convictions before the fatal crash.
He pleaded guilty in October 2017 and was sentenced in January 2018 to a four-to-12-year state prison sentence, according to the Facebook account of the case's history. The available sources do not establish how long he served or the date or facility of any parole release. They also do not connect a cited history of drug abuse to a release decision.
Escalating Trouble Since Parole
The Hackensack arrest followed other reported interactions with police. A report mentions other police interactions, but does not establish their dates or details.
The reported matters involved other police interactions and the later burglary and robbery arrest.
Sindone's 2015 arrest by Orangetown Police, involving thefts from cars, shows this was not his first reported involvement in vehicle theft allegations. The arrest occurred years before the fatal crash that sent him to prison, according to the Nyack Free Press.
The arrest was connected to a Hackensack parking garage.
