Investigators probing the cause of crash that killed Stamford teen
GREENWICH — Police are seeking potential witnesses and information about a fatal crash on East Putnam Avenue on Saturday night.
“An initial investigation has determined that a 2009 Honda Civic was traveling westbound on East Putnam Avenue when it left the road in the area of Wendle Place and struck a wall,” according to an official statement from the Greenwich Police Department.
Police said the 17-year-old operator, whose name authorities did not release because he was a juvenile, died of his injuries.
The Office of the State Medical Examiner, friends and coaches at Westhill High School said Jordan Martinez, a high school senior from Stamford, died in the collision.
Firefighters used a hydraulic-extrication tool to remove the driver from the wreckage, and he was taken to a nearby hospital, police said.
Police did not release specifics about the speed of the vehicle or other circumstances around the fatal one-car accident. The Greenwich Police Crash Reconstruction Team is working on the case.
According to Capt. Mark Zuccerella, “The Greenwich Police Crash Reconstruction Team is still in the process of analyzing the evidence collected thus far, interviewing witnesses, and continues to search for more information that can assist in the reconstruction of and the events leading up to this collision.”
A memorial with candles marks the scene of the accident near the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Old Greenwich.
Members of the Westhill community described Martinez as a special kid with a positive attitude.
“I know it sounds cliché but he really was one of those kids who was a bright light whenever he walked into a room. He was a big boy with a big smile,” said former Westhill coach Joe DeVellis said. “The kids were all drawn to him both on the football field and in school. He was the kind of kid everyone else wanted to be around.”