Man killed in Rhinebeck crash with stolen SUV driven by 14-year-old
RHINEBECK − A New Jersey man was killed Tuesday morning when his van was struck head-on by a stolen SUV driven by a 14-year-old.
The Dutchess County Sheriff's Office said the crash happened around 6:25 a.m. Tuesday on Route 9 in the town of Rhinebeck.
According to the Sheriff's Office, a 2017 Chevrolet van driven by Jonathan A. Kiech, 49, of Fords, New Jersey, was northbound on Route 9 near Closs Drive when it was struck head-on by a southbound 2015 Toyota 4Runner with a 14-year-old at the wheel.
Kiech was pronounced dead at the scene.
The sheriff's office declined to further identify the driver of the 4Runner, not even to say if it was a boy or a girl, due to age.
The 14-year-old, who did not have either a driver's license or permit, was initially taken to Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital in Poughkeepsie for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, and then taken to a secure detention facility, pending further investigation and potential charges.
Both operators were the sole occupants of their vehicles.
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This was the second fatal crash involving a teenage driver in the region in recent weeks.
On March 19, five people between the ages of 8 and 17 died when their vehicle veered off the Hutchinson River Parkway, struck a tree and caught fire. A 9-year-old boy was the only survivor.
A 16-year-old boy who did not have a license was at the wheel in that crash.
The 4Runner was confirmed to have been stolen in Connecticut, the county Sheriff's Office said.
The Sheriff's Office said the 4Runner was one of several vehicles reported stolen in the northern Dutchess County and eastern Connecticut areas between late Monday night and early Tuesday morning. Investigation into those thefts is continuing, but the sheriff's office said at this time they are thought to be the work of an organized group that has previously worked out of Connecticut.
The Dutchess County Medical Examiner's office, state police and the town of Rhinebeck and Hillside fire departments assisted the sheriff's office at the scene of the crash.
Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record, Poughkeepsie Journal and The Journal News/lohud. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com or on Twitter @mikerandall845.
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: NJ man killed in Rhinebeck crash with stolen SUV driven by 14-year-old
