3-Car Plattsburgh Crash Injures 2 Troopers, Burns NY State Police Cruiser

Q: Why did a standard police cruiser erupt in flames after being rear-ended on a New York highway?

The exact cause of the fire has not been established publicly; investigators have only said the rear-end impact ignited one of the patrol cars. What is known is that the Jeep struck the rear of Trooper Jakai Townsend’s Dodge Charger hard enough to push it into the second cruiser. In a crash like that, a gasoline-powered patrol car can catch fire if the impact ruptures the fuel tank or fuel lines, damages the battery or wiring, or creates sparks and hot metal that ignite leaking fuel or fluids. Police cruisers also carry added electrical equipment for lights, radios and computers, which can increase the amount of wiring that may be damaged in a severe collision, though there is no evidence yet that police equipment itself caused this fire. The fact that the vehicle was quickly engulfed suggests a substantial fuel source or a fast-moving ignition, but that alone does not prove whether the fire began in the fuel system, electrical system or another damaged component. Those are the kinds of questions crash investigators and fire investigators typically examine through vehicle inspections, burn patterns and mechanical evidence. So the short answer is that the cruiser most likely burned because the rear-end crash caused catastrophic damage that allowed fuel or another flammable fluid to ignite, but the precise reason remains under investigation by New York State Police.

2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 14

Two New York State Police troopers were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries after a three-car crash just after 7 a.m. on Route 374 in Plattsburgh left one patrol car engulfed in flames.
Investigators said a 2018 Jeep Cherokee driven by 41-year-old Michelle L. Donah failed to slow for traffic near an intersection, rear-ending one marked Dodge Charger and pushing it into a second cruiser.
The impact ignited one patrol vehicle, sending up thick black smoke before local fire departments extinguished the blaze; Donah was evaluated at the scene and declined further treatment.
Troopers Jacob R. Casey and Jakai E. Townsend were taken to Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital, and state police said the crash remains under investigation.