One teen has died and four others are seriously injured after a fiery crash in Wolcott on Saturday night.
Officers received a report around 10 p.m. that a vehicle had gone off of the road in the 700 block of Spindle Hill Road and hit a tree. While police were heading to the crash, dispatchers reported the vehicle was now on fire.
Two officers who arrived found the vehicle down a small embankment on its side against a tree with the front on fire.
Investigators said two teens were outside of the vehicle when police arrived and said there were three more teens still inside the burning vehicle.
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
A firefighter who arrived helped fight the flames with a fire extinguisher while an officer reached through the shattered back window to pull the back passenger out.
More firefighters arrived and extinguished the fire. Authorities said the two remaining teens in the front seats were trapped and were removed by emergency crews.
According to police, the 18-year-old driver of the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. Police later identified the victim as Alexander Dillon.
Local
The 17-year-old front seat passenger was reportedly in critical condition and was flown by LifeStar to Hartford Hospital. The 16-year-old, 18-year-old and 18-year old who were in the backseat had serious injuries and were transported to the hospital for treatment.
Wolcott Public Schools superintendent Shawn Simpson released a statement about the crash saying in part:
"While not all occupants were currently Wolcott High School students, all involved had ties at some point to Wolcott Public Schools. Two of the injured occupants are current Wolcott High School students. Sadly, one of the other occupants involved in the crash died from injuries sustained. Our sincere condolences and thoughts go out to those involved, their family, friends and the first responders."
Counseling and bereavement support services will be available to all students and staff in the upcoming days. The services begin Sunday afternoon and run from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Wolcott High School.
