Schenectady crash leaves teenager in critical condition

Chain of events started with report of fight, led to collision with truck

Reports of a group of people fighting in the streets, including one reportedly with an ax, led to a police chase that resulted in a sedan being crushed by a Fedex truck on Wednesday.

A 15-year-old occupant was in critical condition at Albany Medical Center Hospital, according to Schenectady Police, with a 53-year-old and 14-year-old in stable condition. All three were removed from the sedan by first responders.

Authorities were first dispatched to the corner of Hilderbrandt Avenue and Moyston Street in the city’s Vale neighborhood around 1:17 p.m. for reports of at least two people fighting in the streets, authorities said.

One caller mentioned an ax and heard mention of a possible gun involved, according to Sgt. Matthew Dearing, who briefed reporters at the crash scene on Wednesday evening, which remained under investigation by city and State Police.

While city police officers were en route, dispatch received additional calls from callers reporting at least one person leaving the area in a red four-door sedan.

Officers from Schenectady County’s Street Crimes Task Force were already in the area; they saw the car entering State Street and attempted to pull it over near the intersection of Victory Avenue and Catherine Street, Dearing said.

As officers exited and began to approach, the sedan sped off.

“As they made the turn from Victory onto Chestnut, they witnessed that four-door sedan strike the Fedex tractor-trailer on State Street,” Dearing said.

The Fedex truck driver was treated on the scene by medics with non-life-threatening injuries.

State Street between Hulett and Moyston streets was expected to be closed in both directions for at least several hours, Dearing said early in the evening.

Detectives are continuing to canvass the neighborhood, reviewing surveillance footage and interviewing eyewitnesses in an

attempt to reconstruct the sequence of events, as well as to determine the speeds of both vehicles.

There is the potential for some charges based on the investigation, Dearing said.

“The real focus right now is obviously those individuals who got transported to the hospital and then a reconstruction of what happened on State Street,” Dearing said.

Pete Demola / Times Union Three people were hurt when a car collided with a truck Wednesday on State Street in Schenectady.

Pete Demola / Times Union A 15-year-old was in critical condition as a result of this crash. Two others, ages 53 and 14, were also injured.