In the early morning hours of December 22, 2021, Aricelio Pellot, a 46-year-old man from the Bronx, was fatally shot in what police believe was a road rage incident. Pellot was a passenger, riding in the back seat of a black Nissan Murano with two other men, when an altercation with another vehicle occurred. The confrontation took place around 5:40 a.m.
on East 162nd Street near Melrose Avenue.
The dispute escalated tragically when a gunman in a white SUV opened fire on the vehicle Pellot was in. A bullet shattered the rear window and struck him in the head, causing his immediate death. The driver of the Nissan and the other passenger remained at the scene and cooperated with the police investigation, informing them that the shooting stemmed from a road rage encounter. The exact details of what precipitated the argument remain unclear.
Following the shooting, the suspect fled the scene in the white SUV, prompting a search by the New York Police Department. An investigation was launched to identify and apprehend the person responsible for Pellot's death.
On January 27, 2022, authorities arrested 38-year-old Carlos Esquilin in connection with the fatal shooting. Esquilin was subsequently charged with the murder of Aricelio Pellot, a father of four and a recent grandfather who was reportedly on his way to work when his life was cut short. Family members remembered Pellot as a caring and humorous man who was a 'people person' and always tried to make others smile.
