VASSALBORO, Maine — Two men were killed early Saturday morning when their car crashed into a tree in Vassalboro while being chased by Winslow police, according to Maine State Police.
Killed instantly were 32-year-old Ronald Willey of Chelsea, the driver, and his passenger, 28-year-old Joseph Knox of Randolph, according to a news release from the Maine State Police sent Saturday morning.
The car slammed broadside into a tree on Bog Road at about 1 a.m. The crash took place on a sharp curve at the crest of a hill.
Troopers said Winslow police Sgt. Haley Fleming attempted to pull over Willey’s car on Bay Street for defective tail lights. The car pulled into the Cumberland Farms parking lot and then took off, with Fleming in pursuit, along Route 32 and then onto the Bog Road in Vassalboro. Fleming told Troopers the speeds ranged from 65 to 80 mph.
The sergeant did not witness the crash but came upon the wreck moments after it occurred. Because of the Winslow Police Department’s involvement, they requested state police conduct the crash investigation. A team of eight troopers went to the crash site, along with the Kennebec Sheriff’s Office and the Vassalboro Fire Department.
The car was a 2004 Dodge Stratus. Firefighters had to use extrication equipment to remove the two bodies from the car.
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