14-year-old runaway dies in fiery crash while speeding from police, Indiana cops say
A high-speed police chase ended with the death of a 14-year-old boy who had run away from home, Indiana police said.
The incident began when officers noticed a “suspicious vehicle” in a residential area of Ashley, a small town about 60 miles southeast of South Bend, late in the evening on April 19, according to a news release from the Ashley-Hudson Police Department.
When officers approached the car, it drove off, committing several traffic violations, police said.
A traffic stop was then attempted nearby, but the car again fled the area, leading police on a late-night chase down a rural road past fields and farmhouses.
The fleeing vehicle accelerated, speeding to around 90 miles per hour, before entering Hamilton, the next town over, police said.
Once in Hamilton, the vehicle turned around and headed back the way it came before striking a tree and erupting into flames, police said.
The intense heat of the blaze kept officers from attempting to rescue the driver, police said. They then discovered the vehicle had allegedly been stolen.
The Steuben County Coroner’s Office investigated the crash and, using DNA evidence, determined the identity of the driver on May 3. He was a 14-year-old boy who had run away from home.
The boy’s name has not been released, and a representative for the coroner’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.
A 14-year-old Indiana boy named Jaden Bowman went missing on April 19, according to a Facebook post from his mother. His phone indicated he may have been heading towards Ashley.
His mother confirmed her son’s death on May 3 by sharing a GoFundMe page seeking donations to pay for Bowman’s funeral arrangements.
“My heart is crushed this morning to read the news about my missing student,” an Indiana woman wrote on Facebook in a post that shared the Ashley-Hudson police press release.
“I can still see him laughing and cutting up with the other boys on the bus,” she added. “His laugh was infectious. You are missed so much!”
This story was originally published May 4, 2023 at 11:27 AM with the headline "14-year-old runaway dies in fiery crash while speeding from police, Indiana cops say."