Police seeking witnesses to fatal crash

PORTLAND — Police are seeking the operator and/or passengers in a second vehicle that was crossing the Arrigoni Bridge earlier this month when a moped rider was killed.

Officer Paul Liseo, who is heading the investigation into the Nov. 4 fatal accident, said police are looking at the people in that car as witnesses who may be able to provide additional information about the late-night crash.

A 22-year-old Middletown man, Daquan Moore, was killed when he was struck from behind as he rode his moped east toward Portland.

Earlier this month, police were presented with the car they believe struck Moore. The car, a 1999 Audi, was delivered to police by a lawyer retained by the car’s owner.

“We’re pretty positive that is the car,” Liseo said Monday morning.

So far, however, police have not been able to identify the driver of the Audi who, they say, continued across the bridge after striking Moore, then turned around and headed back toward Middletown.

Police also believe there was a woman, so far unidentified as well, riding in the front passenger seat of the Audi.

“We believe there are other witnesses to the accident that were in another vehicle that was on the bridge at the time of the accident,” Liseo said in a statement issued Friday. “We believe the vehicle is a 1999-2001 Chrysler LHS four-door sedan, color silver or champagne with a Connecticut registration and, possibly, tinted windows.”

Like the Audi, Liseo said the Chrysler also crossed over the bridge and then, upon entering Portland, turned around and headed back to Middletown.

“We believe there was a male driving the car and that there was a front-seat female passenger,” Liseo said. “We would like to speak to (the occupants of the Chrysler) as witnesses.”

To date in their investigation, police have relied upon a pedestrian who, they say, was an eyewitness to the accident, as well as surveillance videos from cameras on the bridge.

“We would like to speak to any witnesses that were in the vehicle,” Liseo said.

Beyond the occupants of the Chrysler sedan, Liseo renewed his request that anyone with information regarding the accident contact the Portland Police Department at 860-342-6780 or Middletown Central Dispatch at 860-347-2541.

The Middletown Police Traffic Division/Accident Reconstruction Team is assisting their colleagues in Portland with the continuing investigation.