A 54-year-old Seymour man is dead after another man who was fleeing from police and driving the wrong way crashed into his car in West Haven Thursday night, according to state police.
Police said a 45-year-old East Haven man had fled the scene of a crash in Orange and led police on a chase.
Around 9:55 p.m., the East Haven man was driving east on the westbound side of Meloy Road, sideswiped a 2006 Scion XA , kept going and hit a 2012 Subaru Outback driven by 54-year-old Phillip Hunt, of Seymour, state police said.
Hunt and the driver who hit him both sustained serious injuries and were taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital, according to state police, and Hunt was pronounced dead at 11:59 p.m.
Orange Police Chief Robert Gagne released a statement saying their thoughts and prayers are with the family of Philip Hunt.
They said they were initially called to the scene of a crash at Route 34 and Route 152 in Orange after a light-colored minivan struck another vehicle from behind, then fled the scene and went eastbound, on Route 34 without stopping.
“Shortly thereafter, Orange Police observed a vehicle matching the description of the offending vehicle traveling southbound on Dogwood Road near New Haven Avenue. The vehicle had front-end damage and was being operated in an erratic manner. The vehicle initially slowed to a stop (or near-stop) for police on Dogwood Road near Route One, but then continued east on Route One, and then south on Meloy Road into West Haven, prior to crashing on Meloy Road,” police said in a statement.
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Orange police said they were cooperative with the West Haven Police Department at the scene of the crash and are cooperating fully with the Connecticut State Police, who are investigating this incident.
“The original crash at Route 34 & 152, and its connection to the West Haven crash, remains under investigation,” Gagne said in a statement.
Connecticut state police have taken over the investigation and they ask anyone with information about the crash to call 860-779-4917.
Gagne and said any further comment would have to come from the Connecticut State Police.
Here is the statement released by Orange Police:
