CORNELIUS, N.C. — Police are investigating after two people were killed in a fiery crash following a short pursuit early Sunday morning in Cornelius.
Cornelius police identified the driver as 24-year-old Andrew Mark Krolikowski of Huntersville and the passenger as 24-year-old Jason Ray Monroe of Charlotte.
Police said that just before 1:30 a.m. an officer saw a vehicle speeding in the 19000 block of West Catawba Avenue and tried to pull the car over near Bethel Church Road.
- PRESS PLAY-- Viewer video of crash early Sunday on Jetton Road:
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Investigators said Krolikowski refused to stop and tried to speed away. According to police, as the car approached the intersection of Jetton Road and West Catawba Avenue, it nearly struck another Cornelius officer.
As the car sped west on Jetton Road, a brief pursuit ensued, but according to police, officers called off the chase and deactivated their emergency equipment.
Officers lost sight of the vehicle as it sped away but moments later found it crashed near the intersection of Jetton and Meta roads.
The vehicle had gone off the roadway, struck a tree and was engulfed in flames.
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After the Cornelius Fire Department extinguished the fire, the two men were found dead in the vehicle.
Channel 9 could see a heavily damaged car and a tree that was knocked down at the scene.
"It's very tragic," said neighbor Kathy Helou. "But people do speed up and down here -- it's an easy place and needs to be monitored more."
Full statement from Cornelius PD:
The incident is still under investigation.
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