Man Charged With 27 Offenses After Deadly Cockeysville Crash

COCKEYSVILLE, MD — Police said a man has been charged with negligent vehicular homicide while driving under the influence, among other offenses, as the result of a deadly crash Monday involving a stolen dump truck in Cockeysville. The victim in the collision — who was initially flown to shock trauma— has died, police reported Tuesday morning.

Zackery M. Haeger, 26, of Parkville, is accused of stealing a privately owned dump truck in Baltimore City, trying to mow down officers in the Cockeysville Walmart parking lot who tried to stop him and driving head-on into another vehicle on Cranbrook Road, according to authorities.

Haeger, who now faces more than two dozen charges, did not have a license, police said.

Leon M. Jones, 58, of Hunt Valley, died late Monday afternoon after being rescued from his Nissan Versa and flown to the University of Maryland R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, officials reported.

RELATED: Police Say Head-On Crash In Cockeysville Involved Stolen Dump Truck

Police said that Haeger had stolen a Ford F550 truck from Baltimore that was owned by a private company out of Hampstead. Before 2 p.m., troopers were asked to be on the lookout for the truck on Interstate 83 north and later found it in Cockeysville, where officers set up surveillance around the empty vehicle in the parking lot of Walmart on Frankel Way.

When Haeger returned to the vehicle and tried to drive away, two officers approached him on foot, and he drove at them, forcing them to jump out of the way to avoid being hit, before he took off down York Road, speeding through a red light, officials allege.

He hit a vehicle on York Road at Padonia Road, disabling the vehicle, before turning left onto Padonia Road and left onto Cranbrook Road, where he crossed the double-yellow line and drove into southbound traffic in the area of Rossbrooke Road, police reported.

Jones, who was driving a Nissan Versa south on Cranbrook Road, swerved into the northbound side to avoid being hit by the truck, but police said Haeger came back into the northbound lanes and crashed head-on into the Versa.

After the crash, Haeger ran from the truck but was arrested by troopers who chased him, police said.

He was taken to Sinai Hospital after requesting medical attention, and although he provided a fake name to officers, police said his fingerprints identified him as Haeger.

Upon his release from the hospital, Haeger was taken to the Golden Ring barrack and charged with the following 27 criminal and traffic offenses, police reported:

• Negligent manslaughter by auto
• Criminally negligent manslaughter by vehicle
• Negligent auto homicide while under the influence
• Homicide by a motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol
• Homicide by a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs
• Homicide by a motor vehicle while impaired by a controlled dangerous substance
• Two counts of first-degree assault
• Two counts of second-degree assault
• Unlawful taking of a motor vehicle
• Failure to stop at a red light
• Exceeding the speed limit
• Negligent driving
• Reckless driving
• Driving under the influence of alcohol
• Driving while impaired by alcohol
• Attempting to elude uniformed police by failing to stop
• Attempting to elude uniformed police by fleeing on foot
• Attempting to elude police in official police vehicle by failing to stop
• Attempting to elude police in official police vehicle by fleeing on foot
• Attempting to elude police resulting in bodily injury to another
• Attempting to elude police resulting in death of another
• Failure to remain at scene of accident involving bodily injury
• Failure to remain at scene of accident involving death
• Failure to stop after accident involving damage to vehicle
• Failure to remain at scene of accident involving damage to vehicle
• Failure of driver involved in accident to render assistance to injured person
• Driving without a license

Nobody was injured other than Jones, according to Greg Shipley, spokesman for Maryland State Police.

Haeger is being held without bail at the Baltimore County Detention Center and is slated to appear for a preliminary hearing in Baltimore County District Court on Aug. 31.

Photo of Zackery Haeger courtesy of Maryland State Police.