An off-duty Munster police officer tragically lost his life in an early morning crash on Tuesday, as reported by ABC 7 Chicago. The incident occurred on US Highway 41, south of US Highway 231, in unincorporated Lake County, Indiana. The officer, identified as Ryan A. Perez, was involved in the collision after 1 a.m., though immediate details of the crash were not available at the time of the report.
The circumstances around the fatal event begin to become clearer via a follow-up article by WGN-TV. Officer Perez was driving a Dodge Ram northbound on US 41 when it collided with a southbound semi near the 11400 block of Wicker Avenue. The crash was promptly reported at around 1:05 a.m., whereupon authorities were dispatched to the scene. The collision resulted in the pronounced death of Officer Perez at the location.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Department is currently leading an ongoing investigation into the crash. Authorities are looking into several potential factors that may have contributed to the incident. The unnamed driver of the semi did not sustain injuries and was directed by his employer to undergo state-mandated Department of Transportation testing at a local hospital. The outcomes of these tests and further details about the crash have yet to be disclosed.
