The Saugerties Police Department is investigating a one-car motor vehicle crash that occurred on Rt. 32 in Saugerties, resulting in the death of a 22-year-old resident, who was the passenger in the car.
At 3:25 a.m. Tuesday morning, Saugerties Police responded for a reported motor vehicle accident on Rt. 32, adjacent to the Saxton Fire House.
A 2003 Jeep Cherokee, operated by John A. Playford, 21, of Mower Mill Rd., Saugerties, was traveling south when Playford failed to stay on the roadway, running off the west side of the roadway, striking a utility pole, then a house, causing extensive damage. The vehicle crossed a driveway and flipped over, coming to rest on its roof. A passenger in Playford’s vehicle, identified as 22-year-old Jacob Sweeney of Saugerties, was ejected from the vehicle, sustaining fatal injuries.
Playford was treated at the scene by members of DIAZ Ambulance and transported to the Health Alliance Broadway Campus in Kingston, treated for minor injuries and released.
Saugerties Police are continuing their investigation with assistance from the New York State Police Accident Reconstruction Team, Forensic Investigation Unit and the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office. Police were also assisted at the scene by members from the Saxton Fire Department, Centerville Cedar Grove Fire Department and DIAZ Ambulance.