INFORMATION RELEASE

On 10/24/19, at about 1:53 AM, the Juneau Police Department received a report of a single vehicle crash located in the 9300 block of Glacier Highway. A caller reported that a blue Nissan Xterra had driven off the roadway, overturned, and two males were still inside the vehicle.

JPD and CCFR responded to the scene of the crash and located the Nissan in the ditch, on its roof, and resting in approximately three feet of water. Officers contacted the driver of the vehicle, a 30-year-old male Juneau resident. The driver told responding officers that the passenger was still trapped inside the vehicle. Officers attempted to remove the passenger from the vehicle, but the passenger was pinned against a part of the vehicle that was completely submerged. JPD and CCFR confirmed the passenger, identified as a 47-year-old male, was deceased.

JPD detectives and accident reconstruction team responded to investigate the crash. The driver was transported to the Bartlett Regional Hospital for evaluation, due to minor injuries sustained during the crash. A search warrant was obtained for the driver’s blood to determine their blood alcohol concentration.

The initial investigation shows that the driver of the vehicle had been at a local liquor establishment in the Auke Bay area and had picked up the passenger to give him a ride. The vehicle was travelling from the direction of Egan Drive//Mendenhall Loop Road, towards the airport, when the vehicle lost control, overturned and went into the ditch.

The driver of the vehicle has been released, pending analysis of the blood draw. Alcohol consumption does appear to be a factor in the cause of the crash. JPD is still trying contact the next of kin of the deceased passenger.