Oneonta, NY : Man killed in apparent suicide crash on Sunday, March 19th 2017

A Richmondville motorist said during a high-speed pursuit that he was looking to kill himself before his vehicle crashed and he was pronounced dead at the scene in the town of Rotterdam early Sunday, a media release from state police at Troop G said.

Troopers related details as follows:

Emmanuel C. Humphreys, 36, veered a 2010 Honda vehicle into the path of a dump truck traveling in the opposite lane on state Route 7.

The crash occurred as Humphreys was being pursued by troopers and sheriff’s deputies for 21 miles at speeds up to 80 mph. The incident began at about 10:55 p.m. Saturday, when troopers received a report of a domestic incident in Richmondville. Humphreys allegedly had assaulted his girlfriend but fled before troopers arrived.

A trooper spotted the 2010 Honda and conducted a traffic stop at the intersection of Route 7 and state Route 30A. Another trooper, Joshua Udell, arrived to assist and approached Humphreys, who accelerated his vehicle to flee and ran over the trooper’s right foot.

During the ensuing pursuit, Humphreys used a cellphone to call his girlfriend. He spoke about ending his life, a conversation that was heard at the scene of the domestic incident by a trooper who relayed information to alert troopers involved in the pursuit about Humphreys’ intentions. Authorities tried to stop Humphreys with reported use of spike strips and by boxing his vehicle in with police vehicles but were unsuccessful.

While on Route 7, Humphreys veered into the westbound lane, colliding head-on with a 1999 Volvo dump truck. The Honda deflected into the path of Trooper Jason Cintula’s vehicle. The Honda split, with one portion striking a 2001 Toyota Rav 4.

Neither the operator of the dump truck or the driver of the Rav 4 was injured. Cintula has back and chest bruises and Udell sustained a bruise to his right foot. Both troopers were treated at Ellis Hospital in Schenectady and released.

An autopsy was scheduled for Monday to determine cause of death for Humphreys. The incident remains under investigation. Capt. Robert Patnaude, Troop G’s acting commander, said police personnel acted appropriately in attempts to prevent Humphreys from taking his own life or the lives of others.

Source :
Man killed in apparent suicide crash