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Kevin Joseph Earley

Age : 21

Gender : Male

Race : White

Date : 11/07/2021

Location : US Route 1 and Old Post Road

City : Sharon

County : Norfolk

State : Massachusetts

Agency : Massachusetts State Police

Officer(s) :Unknown

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Bystander killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
At approximately 8:00 p.m., Massachusetts State Police received a report of a Nissan Altima being driven dangerously northbound on Route 1 in Foxborough. A trooper working a highway detail near Gillette Stadium saw the Nissan pass at extremely high speed, nearly striking a highway worker, and initiated a pursuit.
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EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 11/07/2021, at approximately 8:00 p.m., a Massachusetts State Police trooper pulled onto Route 1 with emergency lights and siren activated and pursued the Nissan northbound from Foxborough toward Sharon. Court records later established that the pursuit covered nearly three miles at approximately 100 mph as the Nissan traveled through regular traffic, used the breakdown lane and ran a red light.
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Troop H headquarters ordered the trooper to discontinue the pursuit because police could not safely stop the vehicle. Police alleged they discontinued the pursuit moments before the Nissan reached Route 1 and Old Post Road in Sharon.
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Kevin Joseph Earley was stopped at the red light in his family’s Subaru Forester when the Nissan struck the rear driver’s side of his vehicle at high speed, propelling the Subaru through the intersection and off the roadway. The Nissan then struck a Dodge Durango, which was propelled into a Toyota Corolla. Earley was trapped in the Subaru and pronounced dead at the scene. People in the other vehicles survived with minor injuries.
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Kevin was working a food-delivery shift when he was killed. He worked for DoorDash and Instacart while taking college classes and was an accomplished computer enthusiast who taught himself coding and helped build websites. He had also been involved in theater since childhood and volunteered extensively in Sharon.
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Kevin was the youngest member of the Sharon Historical Society and regularly assisted with research, its website and community events. He also spent years volunteering alongside his father, retired Sharon firefighter Timothy Earley, during Fire Prevention Week and other fire-department events. His aunt remembered him as talented, witty, funny and devoted to his family, while his sister said he was always there for everyone.
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TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
1 Fatality, additional minor injuries.
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EYEWITNESS OR FAMILY STATEMENTS:
Kevin’s mother described losing her 21-year-old son as a nightmare. His family described him as exceptionally caring and giving. Contemporary reporting established that Kevin was simply stopped at a red light when the pursued vehicle struck him.
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DISPOSITION:
Nicholas Snyder was initially charged with motor vehicle homicide and other offenses. A Norfolk County grand jury subsequently indicted him for second-degree murder, vehicular manslaughter-OUI and assault with a dangerous weapon. Prosecutors alleged he was intoxicated and had continued driving at approximately 100 mph during the pursuit. He pleaded not guilty following the indictment. The Massachusetts State Police trooper was not criminally charged for the trooper’s role in initiating the pursuit.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Massachusetts State Police did not publicly identify the trooper who initiated the approximately three-mile, 100-mph pursuit. Because the trooper’s identity remains undisclosed, no reliable individual officer history can be attached to this case.
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LITIGATION:
No wrongful-death lawsuit by Kevin Earley’s family against the Massachusetts State Police or pursuing trooper was located.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/man-indicted-on-murder-charge-after-deadly-sharon-crash/2689423/
https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/driver-2021-sharon-crash-indicted-murder-charge/ZWZFEOZBSJCWRPSFHQNNHHOG7E/
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/04/08/metro/wrentham-man-indicted-2nd-degree-murder-charge-crash-that-killed-sharon-man/
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/11/08/metro/sharon-man-killed-route-1-when-his-car-is-rear-ended-by-driver-fleeing-police-officials-say/
https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/sharon-deadly-crash-nicholas-snyder-kevin-earley/
https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/police-21-year-old-killed-by-dangerous-erratic-driver-route-1-sharon/MGAG3DE65NH5FEP3ZWM7EIYRAE/
https://whdh.com/news/a-nightmare-heartbroken-family-mourning-death-of-sharon-man-killed-in-crash-with-driver-accused-of-speeding-away-from-police/
https://www.boston.com/news/crime/2021/11/08/man-killed-fatal-sharon-vehicle-crash/
https://www.delaneyfuneral.com/obituaries/kevin-earley-1
https://patch.com/massachusetts/sharon/grand-jury-issues-murder-indictment-driver-deadly-sharon-crash