An accident occurred at 5:30 a.m. on U.S. Route 35 killing Athens resident Richard Cartwright, 21.
An Athens County resident was killed Thursday morning in a car crash on U.S. Route 35 in Jackson, OH.
Richard W. Cartwright, 21, was traveling westbound on U.S. Route 35 at 5:30 a.m. when a tractor-trailer failed to yield at a stop sign on Township Road 213 after exiting a rest stop, crossing over and making contact with the oncoming pickup truck, according to a report from the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Cartwright was not listed as an Ohio University student in the university’s online directory.
The driver of the tractor-trailer was East Rutherford, NJ resident Manuel D. Ortiz, according to the report.
After colliding with Cartwright, Ortiz left the scene continuing eastbound on U.S. Route 35 before being apprehended in Putnam County, WV.
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office did not return a request for comment from The Post as of press time, and it wasn’t stated in the report how law enforcement was tipped off about the hit-and-run.
Cartwright was found dead upon arrival, per the report. Ortiz will be extradited back to Jackson, OH where he will be charged with vehicular homicide and failure to stop after a fatal crash.
Ortiz told West Virginia’s WSAZ-TV he heard a loud noise while driving through foggy conditions.
“When I checked, I just saw the damage,” he said. “I didn’t know what to think of it. I panicked. I’m sorry, I didn’t even know it happened.”
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