Breaking: São Paulo's Nicolas arrested after killing 84-year-old man | OneFootball

São Paulo left-back Nicolas was arrested on Monday night (3) after being involved in a hit-and-run accident with a fatal victim in the Barueri area, in Greater São Paulo. The victim, an 84-year-old man, did not survive his injuries. The player remained at the scene to provide assistance and was later taken to the police station.

As initially reported by the website Globo Esporte, Nicolas had dinner at a shopping mall in the area accompanied by full-back Igor Felisberto and forward Ryan Francisco, who are also players for the São Paulo club. The group left the establishment in separate vehicles.

After learning of the accident, Felisberto and Francisco returned to the scene, where they stayed until emergency services arrived before going to the police station to give statements.

Police report and conflicting statements

In the police report filed in the case, there is suspicion that the players were street racing on a public road. The hypothesis is based on a witness statement, who said they saw the cars traveling at high speed in the moments before the impact.

In their official statements to the police authority, the three players categorically denied taking part in an illegal race.

The 19-year-old Tricolor full-back told police that none of them had consumed alcohol and also said that an app on his cellphone showed his vehicle was traveling at 50 km/h.

Also according to the police report, Paulo Rodrigues, 84, was crossing Alameda Rio Negro, in front of Shopping Iguatemi Alphaville, at around 9:53 p.m. (Brasília time), when he was struck by a BMW 220i, Nicolas’s vehicle.

Legal follow-up and official statements

Nicolas is undergoing a custody hearing, a procedure in which the court will assess whether his arrest should be maintained or revoked. São Paulo released an official statement early in the afternoon about the case. See below:

“It was verified that the athlete had not consumed alcohol and that his National Driver’s License was in regular standing. Nicolas gave a statement to the competent authorities and was guaranteed the right to respond to the proceedings while free.

São Paulo Futebol Clube deeply regrets what happened and extends its solidarity to the victim’s family in this moment of pain and sorrow. The Club will continue to monitor the case through its legal department.”

Lucca was also involved in an accident

Earlier, on Saturday (1), young player Lucca also crashed his car while returning home from São Paulo’s training center. He went to the hospital, received 25 stitches in his chin, but has already been discharged and is recovering at home.

The young winger will now continue under the care of São Paulo’s medical department and will continue treatment with a specialist, thus becoming another absence for Dorival Júnior.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.