2nd man arrested in case of burned bodies found in car near NYC golf course

Another man has been arrested in connection to a grisly 2022 double murder that left a pair of 22-year-olds dead, with their bodies found in a flaming vehicle near a Bronx golf course, investigators said Tuesday.

In a case that has been haunting two families for nearly two years, the remains of victims Nikki Huang and Jesse Parilla were discovered once firefighters put out the flames from the May 16, 2022, car fire on Shore Road in Pelham Bay Park, near Pelham Split Rock Golf Course. Both Huang and Parilla, who lived in Manhattan, had been shot in their heads and elsewhere on their bodies before being set on fire, police said.

Parilla was giving Huang a ride in his mom’s Honda Accord as the two were trying to get her stolen purse back, investigators said. Autopsies found extensive burns on their bodies in addition to the gunshot wounds.

Rahul Cuya, of Manhattan, was charged Tuesday with two counts of murder, manslaughter, kidnapping and other crimes. It wasn’t immediately clear if he had an attorney.

Police are still looking for 34-year-old Steven Santiago (below).

Police had said there were no signs of a crash before the sedan caught fire. The relationship between the victims wasn’t clear, nor was their potential connection to the suspects.

Anyone with information regarding the case is asked to contact police. There is a $10,000 reward being offered for information leading to Santiago’s arrest.