Ex-Steeler Justin Strzelczyk Killed During Police Chase
Ex-Steeler killed in fiery crash after police chase (ESPN – AP)
Justin Strzelczyk, a former player for the Pittsburgh Steelers, died Thursday in a fiery head-on collision with a tanker truck after he led state troopers on a 40-mile highway chase during morning rush hour. State police identified Strzelczyk , 36, an offensive lineman with the Steelers for nearly a decade until the team released him in February 2000. Troopers said Strzelczyk crashed his pickup truck into the westbound tanker carrying corrosive acid just moments after swerving around a tractor-trailer that pulled across the highway to block the eastbound lanes. Strzelczyk drove 15 miles on three tires and a rim after one of his pickup’s tires was punctured by metal spikes thrown into the road by troopers. “It could have been so much worse. We’re fortunate that only one person died,” said Trooper Jim Simpson, a state police spokesman. “It looked like an airplane crash. There was quite a lot of diesel fuel spilled that was burning. The pickup was almost unrecognizable.”
Strzelczyk, who lived in McCandless, Pa., near Pittsburgh, had been involved in another minor accident about an hour earlier just west of Syracuse, which started the bizarre turn of events, Simpson said. The hit-and-run occurred about 7:20 a.m. and state police put out an alert for Strzelczyk’s pickup. Troopers spotted him about 40 minutes later still heading east on the Thruway. A second unit tried to stop the pickup by booby-trapping the road with the “stop sticks,” but Strzelczyk just kept on going. The pickup was clocked at 88 mph, Simpson said. “He was going down the road, flipping off the troopers. He even threw a beer bottle at them,” Simpson said. A trucker saw the chase and pulled his rig across the road. Instead of stopping, the pickup drove across the grass median into the westbound lanes and traveled about three miles in the wrong direction before the deadly crash. The collision with the tanker occurred at about 8:15 a.m. while the highway was busy with morning commuters and travelers. The driver of the tanker suffered only minor injuries. No one else was hurt.
Mary Joyce Strzelczyk, of West Seneca, N.Y., said she suspected her son may have been suffering from an untreated mental or emotional disorder. “I’m kind of numb right now,” she told The Buffalo News in Friday’s editions. “I had seen trouble with his mood disorders coming.” She said she last saw her son in Pittsburgh last weekend when she went to visit her grandchildren.
*** Nine months after his release by the Steelers, Strzelczyk was arraigned for illegal possession of a gun. Police said he slammed a loaded handgun onto a bar in Pittsburgh when discussing the presidential election with a friend.
A bizarre and tragic story. And, frankly, one that could have been a lot worse; it’s amazing that Strzelczyk was the only one killed.
The story is written strangely; they make you wait so long to see how the driver of the tanker fared.
Having known Justin for 4 years and seeing him through various ups and downs – I’m still hard pressed to believe that Justin “flipped-off” and threw beer bottles at the police. Seems to be a ficticious detail added for pure cop drama.
I knew Justin for years. He was a good guy. I can’t imagine what was going on personally to have this happen. I know he will be missed by many. It’s sad that he had so many people who loved him and yet none of us were able to stop this from happening.
I wanted to respond to “Skeptical” person’s statement. Justin Strzelczyk hit my vehicle at 7:35am in the east bound lane if I90 and began pushing me at speeds over 100 mph. He didn’t show any signs of stopping or letting me get off the road. The ONLY reason I’m here to tell you about this is he slowed down for a second and I was able to move to the right lane.As for the bottle thing, I saw it with my own eyes and yes he did infact flip off the officer attempting to pull him over before he killed someone. Justin Strzelczyk is not a good guy in my eyes. He was out to kill himself that day and anyone else that was in his way.If you would like to see my story I’d be happy to send you the news article.
John Oates: I would interested in the article. I understand your anger — your life was in danger. But please understand that Justin struggled with manic depression — it’s not a matter of him being “good” or “bad” — it’s a matter of him being “well” or “unwell.” Clearly, he was unwell that day. Let’s all thank the Lord that you weren’t hurt or killed, and that no one else was, either. And let’s not bash Justin, because these pages are accessible to those who knew and loved him. I think it’s appropriate to also thank the Lord that none of us are as tortured as he clearly must have been that day. Please post article here. RIP JCS