nothin New Haven Independent | Hamden Boy Dies After Branford Crash

Hamden Boy Dies After Branford Crash

East Haven P.D. Photo

The Connecticut State Police Collision Analysis Reconstruction Squad (CARS) is investigating a crash at Exit 55 in Branford Sunday that resulted in the death of a 4‑year-old Hamden boy who appears to have been seated on his father’s lap in the front seat of the car when the crash occurred, according to the state police accident report.

The child, identified by state police as Jairus S. Benjamin of 79 Bowen St., Hamden, was taken to Yale New-Haven Hospital, where he died. According to the Hartford Courant, Briana Simuel of Hamden, the boy’s mother, said his personal identification documents had been updated recently and his name is Jairus Little. Simuel said Monday that Jairus died of internal injuries Sunday night, according to the Hartford Courant. He fought for his life for hours, she said, receiving a blood transfusion and other treatment before dying after 11 p.m., she said.

The crash was preceded by a high-speed pursuit that police called off for safety reasons when the car reached a speed of 95 mph near Exit 54, police said. The crash occurred at about 6:30 p.m. The police had called off their pursuit about a mile and a half before the crash occurred at Exit 55. The police had sought to stop the car for motor vehicle violations. 

The driver of what turned out to be a stolen car, was identified as Tyler Carey, 18, of East Haven. He was arrested on a variety of charges, charges that are likely to be upgraded given the death of the child. Carey was arraigned in New Haven Superior Court yesterday and held in lieu of $250,000 bail.

Jairus Little was sitting on the lap of a passenger. His father Brandon Little, 24, was believed to be in the front seat of a 2016 Toyota Corolla that was pursued by East Haven police. The police attempted to stop the car for motor vehicle violations, including unlit tail lights; the pursuit continued once the car entered I‑95 on Frontage Road. Brandon Little was also arrested on outstanding arrest warrants.

This is an extremely tragic situation,” East Haven Police Chief Edward R. Lennon Jr. said in a press release. 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.” 

The Toyota, which was stolen, was registered to a New Haven man. The high-speed pursuit was called off near Exit 54, but an East Haven officer spotted smoke from Route 1 as he left the highway at Exit 55 and saw that the Toyota he had been pursuing had also left the highway. The driver had crashed head on into a 2004 Honda Element driven by a Branford man, John E. Kreider, 53, of 28 Limewood Ave., at the end of the ramp on East Main Street, also known as Route 1. Kreider was uninjured.

According to an investigation report, Carey, the driver, saw a Branford police cruiser as he left the highway, panicked, and turned around in an attempt to get back on the highway, then crashed into the Honda Element. There were five other people in the car, including four juveniles.

Chaotic Scene

Eyewitnesses described a man, later identified as Brandon Little, the boy’s father, carrying the child over to the nearby Mobil station on East Main Street with police following. The other occupants of the Toyota also fled, but were soon captured, including Little, who had outstanding arrest warrants in New Haven and West Haven, according to police.

Jaymar Harris, 25, of New Haven, and Michael Cousins Jr., 15, of East Haven, also fled on foot. They were subsequently located by East Haven and Branford police and were taken to Yale New-Haven Hospital for treatment.

According to the Hartford Courant, the scene was chaotic. Carey fled and was tracked to the nearby woods by a police dog.

Carey faces a host of charges, including second-degree larceny, first-degree reckless endangerment, four counts of risk of injury to a minor, failure to have tail lamps, failure to stop for police, misuse of a license plate, reckless driving, driving in the improper lane and failure to signal. Additional charges will probably be filed because of the death of the child. He was ordered held on a $500,000 bond.

The New Haven State’s Attorney Office requested investigation by the Connecticut State Police Collision Analysis Reconstruction Squad.

Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call Trooper First Class Donald Comstock of CARS at 203 – 630-8086 or email [email protected].

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