1687
New Britain was settled in 1687 and incorporated in 1871.
about 0:06:09Spoilers are covered until your reading preferences load.
FILE 613 / 17 July 2025 / 178 MIN / full
James says 'This is New Britain, New Britain Connecticut', in north central Connecticut, about 15 minutes outside Hartford, in Hartford County, area code 860 about 0:04:50
New Britain was settled in 1687 and incorporated in 1871.
about 0:06:09The area was once known as the Great Swamp, when it was part of Berlin; in 1754 the colony approved it as a new parish and named it New Britain.
about 0:06:29The city's motto is 'Industria implet', which James translates as 'Industry fills the hive and enjoys the honey'. Its nicknames are New Britsky, Hard Hitting New Britain and Hardware City.
about 0:06:03It was nicknamed Hardware City because it was home to Stanley Works, the American Hardware Corporation and other big manufacturers.
about 0:06:56New Britain was settled in 1687 and incorporated in 1871.
about 0:06:09The area was once known as the Great Swamp, when it was part of Berlin; in 1754 the colony approved it as a new parish and named it New Britain.
about 0:06:29The city's motto is 'Industria implet', which James translates as 'Industry fills the hive and enjoys the honey'. Its nicknames are New Britsky, Hard Hitting New Britain and Hardware City.
about 0:06:03It was nicknamed Hardware City because it was home to Stanley Works, the American Hardware Corporation and other big manufacturers.
about 0:06:56By 1913 the American Hardware Corporation was the largest employer in Connecticut, and the city was known as the hardware capital of the world.
about 0:07:12The wire coat hanger was invented in New Britain.
about 0:07:15In 2010 Stanley Works purchased Black and Decker, and the company remains headquartered in the city.
about 0:07:34Famous people from the city include the photographer Annie Leibovitz and the baseball pitcher Steve Dalkowski; Charles Goodyear, who invented vulcanised rubber, lived and worked there.
about 0:08:01The Little Poland neighbourhood on Broad Street fell on hard times in the 1990s and 2000s, and business owners asked the city to designate it Little Poland as a marketing move.
about 0:16:42about 50-50
Biggest faith: Catholic, 31.7%
about 0:12:10White 42.3% · Black 11.5% · Asian 3% · Hispanic 40.9%
Ethnicity can overlap race.Property crime
▲ slightly above average
Violent crime
▼ slightly below average
Listing: two-bed, one-bath, 912 sq ft foreclosure
about 0:14:18Listing: three-bed, two-bath, 2,122 sq ft, half acre
about 0:15:05Listing: four-bed, three-bath, 4,348 sq ft, half acre
about 0:15:49"74,002"
No direction stated.
As told in 2025 about 0:11:14
"about 52.5%"
Comparison: "way above the national average". Direction: above.
As told in 2025 about 0:11:19
"33.2"
No direction stated.
As told in 2025 about 0:11:26
"about 36%"
Comparison: "well below the national average". Direction: below.
As told in 2025 about 0:11:42
"30%"
No direction stated.
As told in 2025 about 0:11:51
"42.3%"
No direction stated.
As told in 2025 about 0:12:00
"11.5%"
No direction stated.
As told in 2025 about 0:12:00
"3%"
No direction stated.
As told in 2025 about 0:12:00
"40.9%"
No direction stated.
As told in 2025 about 0:12:00
"high"
Comparison: "normal for college towns". Direction: above.
As told in 2025 about 0:12:29
"about 50-50"
Comparison: "just like the rest of the country". Direction: about the same.
As told in 2025 about 0:12:10
"31.7%"
Comparison: "highest religion, as usual in the Northeast". No direction stated.
As told in 2025 about 0:12:10
"$50,379 a year"
Comparison: "normally almost $70,000 in the rest of the country". No direction stated.
As told in 2025 about 0:12:36
"about 105"
Comparison: "100 is average". Direction: above.
As told in 2025 about 0:12:50
"$228,900"
No direction stated.
As told in 2025 about 0:13:00
"about $1,350"
Comparison: "above the national average". Direction: above.
As told in 2025 about 0:13:41
"$199,000"
No direction stated.
As told in 2025 about 0:14:18
"$350,000"
Comparison: "price rose $100,000 about two weeks earlier". No direction stated.
As told in 2025 about 0:15:05
"$439,000"
No direction stated.
As told in 2025 about 0:15:49
"slightly above average"
Comparison: "national average". Direction: above.
As told in 2025 about 0:20:11
"slightly below average"
Comparison: "national average". Direction: below.
As told in 2025 about 0:20:31
2.5 / 5 · average of 4
“Lived there all their life, the community is amazing and friendly and they feel safe outside, though there are worse parts and they would like improvements.”about 0:08:29
“A 'mutual understanding' with the city: not great, not bad; very local stores and close to Berlin, Southington and Plainville.”about 0:09:00
“Dirty, lots of drinkers and irresponsible dog owners, litter and glass on the sidewalks, not safe for dog owners, big stray cat problem.”about 0:09:41
“Awful place to live, criminals everywhere destroying everything, not even cockroaches and rats want to be there.”about 0:10:23
New Britain is a city of about 74,000 people in Hartford County, north central Connecticut, around fifteen minutes from Hartford. Known as Hardware City, it was home to Stanley Works and the American Hardware Corporation, and has a large Polish community. It begins in 2003 with Nielsa Arizmendi, born in 1970, a mother of four and heroin user who worked as a prostitute under the name Maria. She was living in motels with her boyfriend of many years, Angel Sanchez, a convicted drug dealer, and the pair were each using many pieces of crack and bags of heroin a day. They knew him as a drinking and smoking friend and he gave them rides.
According to Sanchez, on the night of 25 July 2003 the two were walking to the Stop & Shop car park in Wethersfield, and he had talked Nielsa into quitting drugs. At about 2:45 a.m. he watched her get into the van, and it drove away. She never returned. Sanchez eventually reported her missing, but was told to wait. Her sister filed a missing persons report on 31 July. On 8 August Sanchez was arrested on a drugs charge, and Detective Derone began to suspect him.
July 2003 / Stop & Shop parking lot, Wethersfield, then van; body buried in woods behind a strip mall in New Britain
As told in the episode, on 17 July 2025.
Accused
January 2003 to October 2003 / van across Connecticut; bodies buried in woods behind a strip mall in New Britain
As told in the episode, on 17 July 2025.
Accused
Public places are marked on the map.
crime scene
about 0:25:45business
about 0:32:19business
about 0:28:14home
about 1:17:01police
about 0:40:59police
about 0:38:15police
about 1:22:10road
about 1:43:49road
about 1:43:49body found
about 1:36:01business
about 2:22:55business
about 2:23:06road
about 2:19:51crime scene
about 2:20:17crime scene
about 2:14:06home
about 1:57:24road
about 1:59:09