Police have identified a 13-year-old boy as the driver of a stolen vehicle who died in a crash along with a passenger in New Haven over the weekend as officers were pursuing the car.
Authorities are still working to learn the identity of the “young” female passenger who was killed in the crash on Sunday on Whalley Avenue just after 4:50 a.m., members of the New Haven Police Department said during a news briefing on Wednesday.
The collision came after a 2019 Hyundai Elantra was involved in an incident in which the driver nearly hit a marked police cruiser, according to police. Police said they believe the driver intentionally swerved toward an officer, but they did not release further details.
Authorities later found that the vehicle had been stolen but that was not the reason for the pursuit, according to police. No officers were injured.
The crash occurred as the Elantra driver, a 13-year-old New Haven boy, was heading north on Whalley Avenue and approached the Harrison Street intersection, police said. The vehicle left the right side of the road and struck a tree in front of the Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel Synagogue. The Elantra ended up in the northbound lane of Whalley Avenue.
The teenager and a young passenger were pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.
At the news briefing, Mayor Justin Elicker said he had spoken to the mother of the dead teen who was a student in the New Haven school system.
“And as you can imagine she is devastated,” Elicker said.
The teen’s identity has not been released. The passenger underwent an autopsy but officials are still working to determine her name and age.
“That’s an important thing the press can help us with because this incident happened over the weekend and we still do not know who this young person is,” Elicker said.
Connecticut State Police were asked to investigate the crash. The request came from New Haven police and the New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office, according to officials.
Anyone with information has been asked to contact Det. James Bria at [email protected] or Det. Alec DeRosa at [email protected].