Vincent Santaniello helped to save Crystal G. Roup from burning, Uhrichsville, Ohio, September 27, 2016. At night in a rural area, Roup, 32, was the driver of a pickup truck that left the highway at a curve, struck a utility pole, and came to a stop on the road, between two houses. There was heavy damage to the front end and the driver’s door; fire broke out under the hood. Roup, whose lower body was trapped on the driver’s side, screamed for help. A nearby resident, Santaniello, 56, truck driver, went to the pickup and opened the passenger-side door. Reaching inside, he pulled Roup’s torso into the passenger seat but her legs remained stuck. His neighbor responded, entered the truck, and freed Roup’s feet. Santaniello then pulled Roup out of the truck as the neighbor moved the steering wheel away from her. Santaniello and the neighbor dragged Roup into the grass before flames increased to engulf the truck. Roup was hospitalized for minor injuries but was not burned.
88598-9966Obituary
Vincent Santaniello was raised in Queens, N.Y., and graduated from Thomas Edison High School in the Queens neighborhood of Jamaica. He had an endearing New York accent, was an avid New York Giants fan, and was seldom without his New York Islanders ball cap. Santaniello was proud of his Italian heritage and revered “The Godfather” movies.
Santaniello died at age 58 on Dec. 27, 2018, in his Dover, Ohio, home following a yearlong illness.
He was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on July 4, 1960, to Ralph and Loretta Minneci Santaniello. A truck driver by trade, Santaniello spent 30 years in his rig. He was predeceased by his first wife, Patricia Santaniello in 1999, and he married the former Karen Goff on May 22, 2003. Santaniello was the father of Michelle Cook and Michael Jones.
(Edited from an obituary published on the website for the Linn-Hert-Geib Funeral Home & Crematory at New Philadelphia, Ohio.)