UPDATE (January 4, 2022):
A man who died in a car that caught fire after hitting a parked car on New Year’s Day has been identified.
It happened around 3 a.m. Sunday on the 2500 block of Westbrook Drive. Officials say that the vehicle was headed north on Westbrook when it hit an unoccupied parked vehicle and caught fire.
Police and first responders found the car engulfed in flames when they arrived. The Allen County Coroner says a man found inside the burned car was 23-year-old Keishon Edwards of Fort Wayne. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The coroner says that the manner and cause of death are pending.
The following was released:
On Sunday, January 1st, 2023, at about 03:00 hours, the Allen County Coroner’s Office was notified of a motor vehicle crash in the 2500 Block of Westbrook Drive, in Fort Wayne. The driver of the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the vehicle was identified as Keishon Edwards, 23, male, Black of Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Notification has been made to the next of kin and an autopsy have been completed. The Cause of Death is pending and the Manner of Death is pending.
This incident is under investigation by the Fort Wayne Police Department, the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Allen County Coroner’s Office.
ORIGINAL STORR:
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – Fort Wayne police say that a person was killed after hitting a parked car in the early hours of New Year’s Day.
FWPD officials say that a passenger vehicle was driving north on Westbrook Drive around 3 a.m. when it hit an unoccupied parked car.
The collision caused the vehicle to catch fire and when first responders arrived the car was fully engulfed in flames. Once the fire was extinguished the driver, an adult man was found dead in the front seat.
The man has yet to be identified.
FWPD officials released the following:
On Sunday, 01/01/2023, at approximately 03:00 AM, the City of Fort Wayne Police Department responded to the area of 2500 Westbrook Drive regarding a vehicle accident with a single passenger car on fire. The preliminary investigation indicates that a passenger car was headed north in the 2500 block of Westbrook Drive when it hit an unoccupied parked vehicle and then caught fire.
Officers, as well as the Fort Wayne Fire Department arrived on scene to find the passenger car engulfed in flames. Once the fire was extinguished, an unidentified male was found in the driver seat and was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The Fatal Accident Crash Team was requested to investigate the crash. The 2500 block of Westbrook Drive was closed while crash investigators documented the scene. The coroner’s office will release the name of the deceased once notification has been made to the next of kin. This incident remains under investigation by the Fort Wayne Police Department FACT, the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Coroner’s Office.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call crime stoppers at 436-7867 or use the free “P3 Tips” app.