Two individuals, a man and a woman believed to be from Florida, were tragically killed in an early morning car crash in Nashville, involving a stolen Jeep and a taxicab. The collision occurred at approximately 2:40 a.m. at the intersection of 12th Avenue and Demonbreun Street. According to witness statements, as reported by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, the taxi, a Toyota van, was lawfully proceeding through a green light when it was struck by the speeding Jeep.
Local authorities confirmed that the woman passenger died at the scene, while the male passenger was quickly transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he later succumbed to his injuries. The taxi driver, aged 37, was also taken to Vanderbilt with injuries described as non-life-threatening. Efforts to firmly identify the two passengers are ongoing, and the tragic news has begun to ripple across the city.
The driver of the stolen Jeep, identified as George A. Chaney, 37, of Nashville, attempted to flee the scene on foot but was unable due to the injuries he sustained in the crash. "Chaney, who is presently suspected of being the Jeep driver, is hospitalized at Vanderbilt and will be arrested upon his discharge on a state parole violation warrant," officials detailed. Chaney's criminal history spans 19 years and includes a series of heroin convictions that led to concurrent 12-year sentences in April 2019. He was last booked on a slew of charges, including felony reckless endangerment and auto theft, as recent as March 2024.
The stolen vehicle, a 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee, had been taken from a Berry Hill apartment garage in February and was suspiciously altered, having been spray-painted black from its original red. Investigators are piecing together the harrowing series of events, with charges against Chaney pending the outcome of the investigation and consultation with the District Attorney's Office.
