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The crash took place in Dutchess County around 6:30 a.m., Tuesday, March 28 on Route 9 in the town of Rhinebeck.
According to Capt. John Watterson of the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office, a preliminary investigation revealed that a 2017 Chevrolet van driven by New Jersey resident Jonathan A. Kiech, age 49, of Fords, in Middlesex County, was traveling northbound when the van was struck head-on by a southbound 2015 Toyota 4Runner.
The 4Runner is a confirmed stolen vehicle from Connecticut, and its operator was a 14-year-old, Watterson said.
Watterson said Kiech was pronounced dead at the scene, and the juvenile was initially transported to MidHudson Regional Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries but has since been remanded to a secure detention facility pending further investigation/charges.
Both drivers were the sole occupants of their vehicles.
The juvenile was not identified due to their age.
The 4Runner in this crash is one of several reported as stolen from the northern Dutchess County/Eastern Connecticut areas during the late-night hours of Monday, March 27, or the early morning hours of March 28, Watterson added.
Further investigation into those thefts is continuing, however, at this time they are thought to be the work of an organized group that has previously operated out of Connecticut, police said.
The Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by:
- The Dutchess County Medical Examiner’s Office
- New York State Police
- Town of Rhinebeck Fire Department
- Hillside Fire Department.
The investigation is continuing.
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