ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Lehigh County Coroner Daniel Buglio said one of the two people who were injured after a high-speed crash that led to a vehicle hitting a home in Allentown has died. 

This comes as a man involved in the crash is being charged with burglary and illegal possession of a firearm.

Kandi Jo Heller, 44, of Slatington, was pronounced dead Wednesday shortly before 10 p.m., Buglio said in a news release.

Buglio said the cause of death is blunt force injuries, and the manner of death is accident.

The crash happened shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday at the intersection of North 6th Street and Cedar Street, according to Buglio.

“On behalf of the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office & Forensic Center, we extend our sincere condolences to Ms. Heller’s family and loved ones as they mourn this tragic loss,” Buglio said.

Authorities say that at approximately 1:06 p.m., troopers from the Bethlehem Station were dispatched to the scene for a reported crash. 

A car went through a stop sign and broadsided another car.  The car that was hit then struck a home near the intersection of the crash due to the impact, officials said. 

Upon investigation, it was determined that a car operated by a 24-year-old Allentown man was driving at a high rate of speed when it blew through the stop sign, according to state police. 

The man, Kevin Abdiel Santiago, has been charged with burglary, receiving stolen property, and possession of firearm prohibited, Pennsylvania State Police said in a news release.

According to court documents, Santiago was charged in connection with multiple burglaries across Lehigh and Northampton counties, including the theft of 15 firearms from a licensed gun dealer. 

Santiago is accused of burglarizing a South Whitehall Township business on July 10 and Tammy and Andy’s Guns in Allen Township on July 12, the criminal complaint details. 

Investigators said the first burglary happened at CreativeLike.us on North 24th Street, where surveillance video showed a man wearing a black neck gaiter entering through a door on the south side of the building and stealing two older-model iPhones and $2 in cash before fleeing.

The stolen phones were later found outside the building, authorities said. 

Two days later, police say a masked suspect broke into Tammy and Andy’s Guns through the rear door of the garage, stealing 15 firearms, along with cash and other property. The total value lost is approximately $10,400, according to officials.

Surveillance video captured the suspect making multiple trips into the building before loading the stolen guns into a waiting vehicle.

Investigators said surveillance footage from a Wawa in Allen Township showed the license plate of the vehicle seen near both burglary scenes and led them to a black Chevrolet Suburban registered to Santiago. 

Santiago’s car registration says he lives in the 1600 block of West Tremont Street in Allentown, according to the complaint. 

Police conducted surveillance in the area of his address on July 16, located his vehicle at approximately 4:43 p.m., and conducted a traffic stop after running the registration which came back as being Type F suspended, authorities said.

Investigators found a ski mask consistent with the one used during a burglary and several iPhones inside his car during a consensual vehicle search conducted during the traffic stop, the complaint details.

Officers told Santiago to update his vehicle information and was released, officials said. 

Santiago has prior felony convictions for burglary and receiving stolen property in 2018, making him prohibited from possessing firearms, authorities said.

Police say that on Wednesday, Santiago ran from the scene after the crash and hid in the neighborhood for more than a half hour before he was caught by troopers. 

Both occupants of the car that was struck were taken to a local hospital for their injuries, authorities said. One of them, Heller, died Wednesday night.

In addition to the coroner’s office, the Pennsylvania State Police Bethlehem Station Patrol Unit and Criminal Investigation Unit, and the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office are investigating.