Late Sunday night, a routine traffic stop in Albany Avenue, Hartford, turned tragic when a fleeing vehicle lost control and collided head-on with another car, killing 25-year-old Adrian Service and critically injuring the other driver, identified as Jammie Martin, 34.
According to authorities from the Hartford Police Department, officers had attempted to initiate a traffic stop on a 2009 gray Infiniti moments before the crash. The driver refused to stop, accelerated at a “very high rate of speed,” and ultimately crossed into the eastbound lane where the collision occurred. The impact set the Infiniti ablaze, and emergency crews arrived to find the fleeing driver ejected from his vehicle and lying in the roadway.
Meanwhile, Service was driving a 2014 Ford Fiesta when he was struck. He became trapped in the wreckage and despite the efforts of first responders, was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities later confirmed that they discovered firearms and narcotics inside the fleeing driver’s vehicle. Moreover, Martin was found to be listed on the deadly weapons offender registry.
Witnesses described the moment of impact as frighteningly loud. Resident Ocean Westberry, who lives across from the crash site, said: “It was so loud that it sounded like it was coming from inside the apartment.” The crash happened around 11:58 p.m. Sunday near the 1500 block of Albany Avenue, between Mark Twain Drive and Homestead Avenue.
Once on scene, crews from the fire department extinguished the blaze in the Infiniti. Traffic investigators and the fire marshal were called in to document the crash scene meticulously. Albany Avenue remained closed for hours Monday morning as evidence was collected and the roadway cleared. The investigation is ongoing, and the Hartford Police Department urges anyone with information to contact their tip line.
In the wake of the crash, city officials have emphasized the dangers of fleeing traffic stops and high-speed driving on local roads. The tragic night serves as a sobering reminder of how quickly routine police interactions can escalate into catastrophic consequences—affecting not just those directly involved, but neighbors and entire neighborhoods awakened by the sound of screeching tires and a blast of impact.
As the community mourns Service’s loss and hopes for Martin’s survival, Hartford’s traffic and public-safety units continue to piece together exactly how the chase turned into such a devastating crash.
