TOWN OF NASSAU – A man, who was a passenger in a SUV that was spotted in Columbia County, was killed when the driver crashed it into an embankment on Route 66 in the Town of Nassau in Rensselaer County Thursday morning.
A Columbia County Sheriff’s deputy attempted to stop the vehicle after it was spotted at a truck stop on Route 22 in Canaan at around 2 a.m. The deputy followed the vehicle northbound on Route 22 at a high rate of speed and a state trooper joined the chase when it turned onto Route 20 in the Town of New Lebanon.
The suspect SUV continued to speed for about eight miles when officers lost sight and discontinued the chase, but 11 minutes later, the vehicle was found crashed into the embankment.
The passenger, Joshua Castillo Rivera, 26, of the Bronx, was transported to Albany Medical Center where he died. The driver and a second passenger were treated at the hospital for their injuries.
Charges are pending against the driver, police said.
