Credit: Falls Township police
A man has been sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in state prison for a violent attack on a Levittown teen boy that left him with serious injuries.
Advertisements
Zachary Santana, 22, who has recent addresses in Langhorne and Philadelphia, pleaded guilty last October to charges of aggravated assault, conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, terroristic threats, possession of an instrument of crime with intent, simple assault, and conspiracy to commit simple assault.
On Tuesday at the Bucks County Justice Center in Doylestown Borough before Common Pleas President Judge Wallace Bateman, Santana was sentenced to nine years and six months to 20 years in state prison. He was ordered to have a mental health evaluation, pay $818 in restitution, and have no contact with the victim. The judge imposed probation on Santana if he is released from prison before the end of his 20 year sentence.
Santana attacked the 17-year-old boy at Manor Elementary School on Penn Valley Road in Falls Township’s Levittown section on the evening of March 20, 2021 as groups of teens met at the site, according to authorities.
Advertisements
Officers arrived to Timothy Lane near the elementary school and found the 17-year-old boy with multiple stab wounds and blood pouring from him. He was rushed to St. Mary Medical Center in Middletown Township.
The 17-year-old boy suffered a number of life-threatening stab wounds that punctured his lungs, fractured ribs, and fractured both his forearms. The teen also suffered non-life-threatening stab wounds to his face and shoulder.
Advertisements
A witness told police she spotted Santana, who was known as “Blanco,” running across the field around the time of the stabbing with an object in his hand.
Santana’s attack on the teen followed discord between the teens and the young man after a female friend reported Santana was “going crazy” and causing damage at her home.
The stabbing investigation at the school property led to numerous evidence markers being placed on the ground and drawing attention by many passerbys.
Advertisements
Santana was arrested a few days after the attack in Bristol Borough after investigators called him the “prime suspect.”
Santana was sentenced last year to probation after pleading guilty to receiving stolen property and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle from a 2019 case out of Middletown Township, according to court records.
Advertisements
Report a correction via email | Editorial standards and policies
