Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


A man is dead following a police pursuit that ended in a fatal vehicle crash in Putnam Township on Thursday.

Shortly before noon, a Livingston County Sheriff's Office deputy located a stolen vehicle traveling eastbound on I-96 near Mason Road in Marion Township. The vehicle, a 2024 Range Rover, had been reported stolen on March 21st out of the City of East Lansing.

The vehicle exited the freeway before the deputy was able to initiate a traffic stop and turned southbound onto D-19. The deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop on D-19 near Francis Road; however, the driver failed to yield and fled southbound on D-19 at speeds of approximately 120mph.

The Office says at the intersection of D-19 and Swarthout Road in Putnam Township, the driver of the stolen vehicle attempted to overtake a 2023 Ford F-350, operated by a 55-year-old Pinckney resident, who was making a left turn onto Swarthout Road. The suspect vehicle struck the front of the F-350 and lost control, subsequently colliding with a 2021 Ford F-450 that was stopped on the shoulder of Swarthout Road.

The 28-year-old driver of the stolen vehicle, a Lansing resident, was transported to the University of Michigan Hospital with critical injuries - where he was later pronounced deceased.

A 23-year-old male passenger, also a Lansing resident, was transported to the University of Michigan Hospital with critical injuries.

Neither occupant of the stolen vehicle was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. Alcohol and drug use remain under investigation.

The driver of the F-350 was not injured as a result of the crash.

The roadway was closed for approximately three hours while the scene investigation was completed.

The Sheriff's Office was assisted at the scene by the Hamburg Township Police Department, Pinckney Police Department, Putnam Township Fire Department, and Livingston County EMS.

Photos: Putnam Township Fire Department