Man charged with manslaughter in fatal Farmington hit-and-run crash on I-84

FARMINGTON — A 45-year-old man was arraigned in state Superior Court in Torrington on Wednesday for allegedly causing a six-car crash on Interstate 84 in which a man was killed on Jan. 12, 2025. Carlos Serrano, who has listed addresses in Wethersfield and Newington, allegedly left the crash scene but was later located by New Britain police, who found him trying to push his car off a rock on Slater Road, according to police. Serrano was charged that night with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence, but new charges were levied Wednesday, including second-degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle, reckless manslaughter, second-degree assault with a motor vehicle and evading responsibility with death, according to the clerk's office. Bond was set at $500,000, the clerk's office said. The crash killed Eloi Batista Da Silva, 29, according to state police. State police did not release his address but a GoFundMe page said he was a native of Brazil. State police said the 2014 Toyota Corolla that Serrano was driving hit Batista Da Silva's Civic “for an unknown reason” as both were going east in the area of Exit 36, which goes to Slater Road in New Britain. Batista Da Silva’s car then crossed the left lane and median and entered the left westbound lane, where it collided with a Toyota Tacoma pickup truck, according to state police. Three other vehicles then became involved in the chain-reaction collision, police added. Batista Da Silva “suffered injuries not compatible with life and was pronounced deceased at the scene,” state police said in a statement. Serrano reported not being injured, and the drivers of the other four vehicles involved in the accident “sustained suspected minor injuries” and were taken to local hospitals for treatment, police said.