2 Arrested in Connection with Fatal Crash Involving Child, 4 in Stolen Car: East Haven Police

BRANFORD, CT — New details are coming to light concerning the circumstances involving a 4-year-old Hamden child who was killed in an accident involving a stolen car out of East Haven Sunday evening, police said.

East Haven Police Lt. Joseph M. Murgo said the East Haven Police Department, along with Connecticut State Police and the Branford Police Department, is investigating after a man allegedly stole a car Sunday and refused to stop for police while driving with one child, three juveniles and a wanted felon in the vehicle.

The driver led officers on a brief pursuit, which was called off due to the driver’s extremely high rate of speed, nearly two miles before the suspect crashed head-on with another vehicle, which resulted in the death of a young child, Murgo said.

On Sunday an East Haven police officer was conducting a routine patrol at 6:19 p.m. on Frontage Road when he noticed a white Toyota Corolla driving with no tail lights, police said.

The officer followed the vehicle until it ran over a curb near 650 Main St. The officer then activated his emergency lights to signal a traffic stop, police said.

The driver refused to pull over and began driving at a very high rate of speed out of a restaurant parking lot, crossing two lanes of traffic, and entering I-95 Northbound, police said.

The officer pursued the vehicle until the vehicle was observed driving recklessly, at an extremely high rate of speed, near Exit 54 in Branford, police said. A superior officer ordered the officer to terminate the pursuit due to the speeds and danger to other motorists, police said.

The officer exited the highway at the next exit after terminating the pursuit, and drove along Rt. 1 to return to East Haven, police said. As he drove on Rt. 1, he noticed smoke coming from the roadway and found that the vehicle he was previously pursuing had crashed head-on into a 2004 Honda Element, police said.

The driver of the Toyota and the five other occupants had exited the vehicle, police said. The driver fled into the woods and was tracked down by a police K-9, police said.

An investigation determined that four children under age 15 were in the Toyota at the time of the crash. One of the children, a 4-year-old boy from Hamden, had been sitting on the lap of another person at the time of the crash, police said.

The 4-year-old was taken to Yale New Haven Hospital with serious injuries. He later died at the hospital, police said. The other passengers were later located. A total of six people were inside the Toyota: four juveniles and two adults, police said.

“It must be noted that the officer and the department’s command staff used a measured response to an act of crime in our community,” said Lt. Joseph Murgo, the Department’s Public Information officer. “The officer came upon a stolen vehicle, tried to affect a traffic stop, and immediately ceased the pursuit when ordered to do so. He then used his K-9 to locate Carey hiding in the woods after he ran away from a terrible crash. This is a tragic situation caused by the suspect’s allegedly reckless and careless actions.”

The driver, identified as Tyler O. Carey, 18, of East Haven was arrested and charged with:
 Larceny in the Second Degree
 Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree
 Risk of Injury to a Minor (Four Counts)
 Failure to have Tail Lamps
 Failure to Stop for Police
 Misuse of License Plate
 Reckless Driving
 Driving in the Improper Lane
 Failure to Signal

Additional charges will likely be added over the course of the investigation, given the death of the child riding in the vehicle, police said. Carey was ordered held on a $500,000 bond.

Passenger Brandon J. Little, 24, of New Haven, was determined to have several arrest warrants out of New Haven and West Haven as well and was arrested and held on those warrants. The driver of the Honda Element, a Branford resident, declined medical treatment on scene.
The incident remains an active and ongoing investigation.

What police believe may have led to the fatal accident?
A preliminary investigation indicates that, after the East Haven officer terminated the pursuit, Carey allegedly exited the highway and may have panicked on Rt. 1 when he saw a Branford Police cruiser on patrol in the area, East Haven police said. He allegedly tried to re-enter I-95 when he cut off another vehicle and crashed. A check of the Toyota determined that it had been stolen from New Haven., police said.

“This is an extremely tragic situation,” said East Haven Police Chief Edward R. Lennon Jr. “Our hearts break for the loss of a young life so senselessly. We will conduct a thorough review to ensure that all personnel followed all department policies and procedures, and will cooperate fully with the Connecticut State Police investigation.”

This entire incident was captured on officer’s In-Car dash cameras. Per the State Police, the footage will be released in conjunction with the State’s Attorney’s Office.

The Hartford Courant reports that Jairus' family described him as a "fun, loving kid."
During an interview Monday, Jairus’ uncle Steven Parker told the New Haven Register he was close with Jairus, whom he described as a happy child.

“He was always smiling and joking,” said Parker, who lived with Jairus on Bowen Street in Hamden, according to the New Haven Register.

Witnesses told the Courant that around 7 p.m. Sunday they saw a man running with a child in his arms near a Mobil gas station. Police ran after the man, who clutched the boy in his arms until an ambulance arrived, the Courant reports.

This is an ongoing investigation, and anyone with information about the accident is asked to contact Trooper Donald Comstock at 203.630.8086.

Images via East Haven Police Department

Tyler Carey is in the first photo and Brandon Little is in the second photo