2 Young Men From Enfield Killed In Indiana Traffic Crash

PLYMOUTH, IN — A fiery crash on U.S. 30 involving two tractor trailer trucks and a compact sport utility vehicle resulted in the deaths of two former Enfield students Tuesday morning, according to Plymouth police.

Patric McGlynn, 19, and John Paul Eckel, 21, were both pronounced dead at the scene. McGlynn played ice hockey at Enfield High School, graduating in 2019, while Eckel was a varsity wrestler at Fermi High School his freshman year before transferring to a private school in Indiana.

A police report indicates at 7:24 a.m., a 2019 Freightliner semi operated by Inderjit Singh Sidu, 28, of California, rear-ended a 2009 Nissan Rogue, containing McGlynn and Eckel, that was stopped in traffic. The Rogue was then pushed into a 2021 Peterbilt semi, operated by Thomas Lewis, 61, of Indiana. Both the Rogue and Freightliner burst into flames, Plymouth Assistant Police Chief Mark Owen said.

No charges have yet been filed, as the accident is still under investigation by the Plymouth Police Department, assisted by the Indiana State Police, Marshall County Sheriff's Department and Plymouth fire and EMS.

Eckel grew up in Enfield, attending St. Martha School and a year at Fermi before moving to Indiana. Former Fermi wrestling coach Jeff Beiler said Eckel had been studying to become a priest.

"His faith was very important to him," Beiler told Patch. "He was a great kid, an excellent student, a talented wrestler, and he was very personable."

McGlynn was a forward on the 2017-18 Enfield/East Granby/Stafford ice hockey team which advanced to the Division III semifinals at Yale University before falling to rinkmate Tri-Town.

"Patric was a great kid, one of the nicest, most polite, most respectful kids I've ever coached," head coach Frank Genovese said. "He always played hard and battled through everything, even injuries. He will be sorely missed."

Owen said Eckel had been working at a local company for about a year, and was joined about a month ago by his friend McGlynn. Plymouth is a small town of about 10,000 residents, located 26 miles south of South Bend.

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