VERNON, Conn. — We are learning new information today about the life and legacy of a Vernon man and about the suspect charged in connection to the vehicle hit and run that claimed his life. On Tuesday, Philip Holmes of Somers appeared in court, while the family and friends of Andrew Aggarwala of Vernon continue to mourn.
Holmes is charged with leaving the scene of a fatal crash. You may ask, why not vehicular manslaughter? Well, that charge can and likely will be upgraded after the autopsy formally determines Andrew died from the vehicle’s impact.
For now, Philip Holmes is a free man after posting his $100,000 bond. The only words spoken at his arraignment were, "thank you" to the judge. When Holmes emerged from Rockville Superior Court, a news microphone bumped him. He replied, "thanks for hitting me." It's an ironic statement considering Holmes is charged in connection to the hit and run death of 44-year-old Andrew Aggarwala on the day before Thanksgiving. Lt. William Meier of the Vernon Police Department said, "Since this tragedy, there’s been a tremendous outpouring of community support."
The Vernon resident was beloved. His obituary reveals he was a pilot and an inventor with 22 patents. Andrew was a father to two daughters, a husband to his wife of 17 years, and a loving son. He was revered for his volunteer work as a soccer coach. The President of the Vernon Soccer Club posting a message on Facebook saying Andrew was...”humble, kind and incredibly witty. He did so much for so many...” A GoFundMe in Andrew’s memory has already raised thousands of dollars. "We’ve been in touch with Mr. Aggarwala’s family. They have expressed their tremendous gratitude to everyone who has offered them support," said Lt. Meier.
FOX61 examined the newly released police warrant revealing broken pieces of headlight were found at the scene and matched to Holmes' vehicle. Then, on Thanksgiving, "The Vernon Police conducted an informational checkpoint at the crash scene. A car with matching characteristics to the evading vehicle approached the checkpoint," said Meier.
Police saw the Silver Hyundai Sonata they were looking for - broken headlight and blood still on the hood. "Holmes was operating the vehicle at the time it was seized. Police conducted an additional investigation and believe that Holmes was the driver of the vehicle that struck Mr. Aggarwala on November 24th," remarked Lt. Meier.
Andrew Aggarwala was killed near his home on Phoenix Street in Vernon while walking his dog, Ollie. The dog ran away. Miraculously found days later - unharmed - by an eagle-eyed resident. "We thought at first it was a Coyote but then when we looked closer, we saw it was the missing dog that we saw on the news, so we ran out to get him and offered him some turkey meat from Thanksgiving and he came to us eventually and got the leash. I tied him up on our back deck and we called the number that was on his tag," said Eileen Chiaro of Vernon.
Holmes will be back in court on January 8th. And like so many families who’ve recently lost loved ones, the pandemic has forced funeral services for Andrew to be private, but the family says they are planning a celebration of his life once gathering restrictions are lifted.