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Co-workers of suspected 'bike path rapist' baffled by arrest
Co-workers of 48-year-old Altemio Sanchez, of Cheektowaga, learned Monday that police believe the 23-year employee of the brass and copper company is, in fact, the so-called "bike path rapist." "Not in a million years would I have ever thought he could do something like this," said a co-worker who wished not to be identified. "Something like this ... it's not in him." DNA, however, appears to indicate otherwise. According to Erie County District Attorney Frank J. Clark, Sanchez is a "100 percent DNA match ..." to evidence that has been collected from some of the 10 crime scenes in which a rape, murder or both has been linked to the bike path rapist.
"All of Erie County can rest easier today because the monster known as the bike path rapist has been taken into custody," said Erie County Sheriff Tim Howard during Monday's press conference. During an arraignment Tuesday morning, Sanchez's attorney, Andrew C. LoTempio, entered a plea of not guilty on behalf of Sanchez, according to Mary Murray, public information officer with the Erie County Sheriff's Office. Sanchez has been charged with the murder of May Jane Mazur, who was found raped and strangled to death along the railroad tracks on Exchange Street in November of 1992, officials said. Murray said Sanchez did not speak during the arraignment and seemed to be in a state of shock. "He looked shell shocked compared to when I saw him yesterday," Murray said. Sanchez who is being held without bail was questioned for 10 hours on Monday, according to police, during which time he denied any involvement with any of the rapes and murders. Despite Sanchez's arrest, his co-workers are left puzzled as they recalled "Al" as a laid-back person who was quiet but friendly, nonaggressive but a competitive athlete, and sociable, although he kept to himself. "He was a mild-mannered person," said one employee who grew up across the street from Sanchez on Normal Avenue in Buffalo. "He was a go-lucky kind of kid, and he didn't change much as he grew up. He was a good guy, and this has been a complete shock for all of us." "We used to play basketball almost every day when we were younger," another worker said. "But, he was never aggressive, he never got mad. In fact, I don't think I ever recall him losing his cool ... ever ... not even on the basketball court. He was just 'Al.'" His neighbors also thought of him as a decent person. Jake Sneva, who lives near Sanchez's Allendale Drive home, said the husband and father of two was a friendly neighbor. "My wife and I have chatted with him often," he said. "He would often be working in the yard, and his wife had even invited us over for parties in the summer. "They have a beautiful house and just seemed to be incredibly friendly people," Sneva said. Sneva said his family and other nearby residents are in shock at Sanchez's arrest. "My wife runs throughout the neighborhood. In the summer she and I go for runs together. You never think that there is a guy like this out there nearby that could just grab you," Sneva said. He said that while the news does come as a shock to residents of Cheektowaga, Sneva said his neighborhood is quiet and safe. "I am glad to know that the suspect has been caught, but everyone should know that our area is still a nice place to live." According to police, the break in the investigation began almost two weeks ago when three different units of the investigative team assigned to the case all pinpointed Sanchez as a main suspect. Police believe Sanchez is responsible for three murders that span more than 16 years, with the most recent being the Diver case. Two more murder charges are likely to follow, according to police. One is for the murder of 22-year-old University at Buffalo student Linda S. Yalem, who was found raped and strangled to death near the Ellicott Creek bike path in Amherst, officials said. The third charge is expected to be for the murder of the Clarence mother of four. She was found strangled to death near the Clarence/Newstead bike path. Since the discovery of Mrs. Diver's body and the connection to the bike path rapist, a sense of fear has clouded many communities. Increased security patrols, Neighborhood Watch committees and public safety task forces have since been established in the Town of Clarence and surrounding communities. Police said DNA also links Sanchez to numerous rapes, many of which occurred along bike paths, leading to the term "bike path rapist." Police said charges for the rapes are not likely to be pursued because the statutes of limitations on those crimes have since expired. The bike path rapist's ninth listed attack occurred behind a junkyard on Military Road, not far from the company where Sanchez was employed. His co-workers recalled the incident in which a 14-year-old girl was attacked and remembered hearing something about a "suspect running through the brass (factory), and if it was Al, then no one would know the difference ... he worked here." Sanchez worked the third shift, which operates from 11:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. at Luvata. Many of the crimes connected to the bike path rapist occurred during the early morning hours after the third shift let out. Police said Sanchez had been arrested twice before for soliciting a prostitute in Buffalo in 1991 and 1999, something else his co-workers said they knew nothing about nor could believe. "This does not fit right with anything about him," his co-worker said. "I've known him for 40 years ... it's just plain shocking." (Cheektowaga editor Keaton DePriest contributed to this article.) |
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