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Ezequiel Hernandez-Cartagena, 20, of Allentown, has been identified as the passenger killed in the single-vehicle crash, according to the Lehigh County Coroner's Office.
Officers responded to the report of a single-vehicle crash with injuries in the 700 block of Central Boulevard at 6:53 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 13, police said. When they arrived, officers found a vehicle severely damaged from striking a utility pole, but no one could be found in or around it, according to police.
A short time later, officers learned that a man — later identified as Hernandez-Cartagena — had been taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital in a private vehicle. He had suffered severe injuries that appeared to be from a crash, the police explained.
He was pronounced dead in the hospital at 8:05 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 13, the coroner's office said.
The cause of death was listed as "Blunt Force Injuries due to Motor Vehicle Collision," according to Lehigh County Coroner Daniel Buglio. The manner of death is "Accident."
Bethlehem police were assisted on the scene by the Allentown Police Department. Central Boulevard was closed for several hours during the crash investigation and the damaged utility pole was replaced, according to police. The road has since reopened.
The Lehigh County District Attorney's Office is assisting in the investigation, the coroner's office said.
Police are asking anyone with information regarding this crash to call them at 610-865-7000 or email them at BethlehemPolice@bethlehem-pa.gov. Anonymous information can be provided by calling their tip line at 610-691-6660.
Details about Ezequiel Hernandez-Cartagena's life weren't immediately available. His family is invited to that information with Daily Voice by emailing mmoyer@dailyvoice.com.
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