Driver dies, engine crashes through house in dramatic Belchertown car wreck

BELCHERTOWN – A 19-year-old driver who failed to stop for a state police trooper died after his car crashed a short time later, with the jettisoned engine of the vehicle crashing through the second floor of a house, according to authorities.

No one in the house, at 73 North Main St., was injured.

Authorities have not publicly identified the driver who was killed in the wreck, but said he is from Henniker, New Hampshire.

According to state police, about 8:45 p.m. Sunday a trooper patroling Route 202 south attempted to stop a 2011 Nissan Altima after the car failed to stay in marked lanes, police said.

The driver sped away, ran a red light at the Route 9 intersection and failed to negotiate a curve before going off the roadway, police said.

The preliminary investigation indicates the vehicle struck a mulch bed before becoming airborne and contacting a rock wall, a tree and a light post before slamming into the front end of a Jeep Wrangler that was parked in the driveway of a house at 79 North Main St., state police said.

As a result of the impact, the Altima’s engine block was launched out of the vehicle's frame, traveling through the brick exterior of the neighboring house at 73 North Main St., according to state police.

The engine block that was launched out of the Altima crashed through the second story exterior wall of the house, approximately 20 to 25 feet from the ground. The engine block landed inside a second-floor bathroom, state police said.

The driver, who was the sole occupant of the Altima, was ejected from the vehicle.

State police recovered multiple empty beer cans inside and outside of the crashed vehicle, as well as a fake Vermont driver's license bearing the driver's photo.

The crash is under investigation.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Driver dies, engine crashes through house in dramatic Belchertown car wreck