On Thursday morning, a 22-year-old man in Geddes, New York, was trying to escape police when he was hit by a tractor-trailer on Interstate 690.
The man that was killed was struck by a tractor-trailer at on I-690 east near the Route 695 interchange, according to Sgt. Jon Seeber, an Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office.
The man was from East Syracuse, and his name has not immediately been released.
The police chase began in Skaneateles around 12:21 a.m. and ended about 17 miles away in Geddes, according to Syracuse.com.
A police officer attempted to pull over the car on East Genesee Street for several equipment violations. There were 2 men traveling in the dark colored Honda Sedan.
The driver did pull over when the police officer put his lights on and began his pursuit; however, when as the officer approached the vehicle on foot, the driver sped away.
The officer quickly got back into his vehicle and pursued the speeding car. The chase took this route:
When the car reached the Route 5 intersection, after attempting to shake the police officer for more than 8 miles, the passenger jumped out of the car and sought cover in nearby woods. The car continued north on Bennetts Corners Road.
When it was clear the car had no intention of stopping anytime soon, the officer instead started to search for the passenger that fled on foot. Deputies, a K-9 and the department’s Air 1 helicopter joined the search.
Using night vision goggles and an infrared camera, the Air 1 flight crew found the runaway suspect hiding behind Motel Thomas, Seeber said. The passenger, a 16-year-old Elbridge boy, was taken into custody.
Shortly after the young passenger was apprehended, the car involved in the chase was spotted by a deputy driving on west Route 5 near Newport Road – the Honda sped right past the deputy.
While trying to catch up to the driver, the deputy found the car broken down and abandoned on Route 695 north near the I-690 east on-ramp, Seeber explained.
The driver, now traveling on foot, was then hit by a tractor-trailer. The deputies noticed this peculiarity when shortly after finding the abandoned car, they found a truck pulled to the side of the highway.
Paramedics found the man dead at the scene of the crash. The tractor-trailer driver, a Cuddebackville man, was not injured.
The investigation ensued for many hours, shutting down Interstate 690. Around 5:30 a.m., the highway reopened.
The adolescent passenger is cooperating with police; however, this investigation is still ongoing.