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According to Middletown Police, the incident took place around 12:53 a.m. Thursday when an officer saw a black 2000 Lexus GS 300 commit a traffic infraction in the area of Cottage Street and Railroad Avenue, the department said in a release.
The officer then attempted to stop the vehicle which took off at a high rate of speed throughout the city with the officer maintaining a safe speed behind him with his emergency lights on in an effort to get the driver to stop, police said.
The driver continued at a high rate of speed until he reached the intersection of Academy Avenue and Sterling Street, where he appears to have lost control of the vehicle, the release said.
The vehicle left the roadway, striking a telephone pole and then a concrete porch in front of 8 Sterling St., causing substantial structural damage to the unoccupied house, police said.
The Middletown police officer came upon the crash site and found the driver unresponsive and trapped inside the vehicle. The driver was the sole occupant in the vehicle.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene by the Orange County Medical Examiner's Office. He was subsequently extricated from the vehicle by the Middletown Fire Department.
The name of the man is being withheld pending notification of next of kin An autopsy will be scheduled by the medical examiner's office to determine the exact cause of death, the release said.
It does not appear the man was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, police said.
The crash is under investigation by the Middletown Police in conjunction with the New York State Police and Orange County District Attorney's Office.
Any witnesses to the event are encouraged to contact the Middletown Police at 845-343-3151.
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