Crime

Macon man crashes, dies trapped in burning truck after fleeing Georgia state trooper

A photograph at the crash scene on Nancelon Circle in Macon.
A photograph at the crash scene on Nancelon Circle in Macon. Bibb County Coroner's Office

A 35-year-old Macon was killed in a fiery truck wreck early Saturday as he tried to elude a Georgia state trooper who saw him speeding and gave chase, officials said.

Angelo D’wan Martin died after slamming head-on into a tree in a neighborhood near Corbin Avenue, just south of Riverside Drive near Interstate 75, according to a statement from the Georgia Department of Public Safety.

The pursuit began about 12:30 a.m. when a state patrol officer tried to pull Martin over for doing 72 mph in a 45-mph zone on Riverside, the statement said.

Martin, at the wheel of a Ford F-150 pickup, turned south onto Corbin and then cut right onto North Nancelon Circle, where the truck veered off the road, hit a tree and burst into flames.

Troopers tried to douse the fire with extinguishers and pull Martin from the truck, but he was trapped inside and the truck “became fully engulfed,” the statement said.

Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones said Martin, who died at the scene, had lived nearby.

This story was originally published May 1, 2021 at 12:55 PM.

Joe Kovac Jr.
The Telegraph
Joe Kovac Jr. writes about local news and features for The Telegraph, with an eye for human-interest stories. Joe is a Warner Robins native and graduate of Warner Robins High. He joined the Telegraph in 1991 after graduating from the University of Georgia. As a Pulliam Fellowship recipient in 1991, Joe worked for the Indianapolis News. His stories have appeared in the Washington Post, the Seattle Times and Atlanta Magazine. He has been a Livingston Award finalist and won numerous Georgia Press Association and Georgia Associated Press awards.
Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER