A 45-year-old Frenchtown man died Wednesday morning after his SUV ran off Route 519 in Kingwood Township, traveled down an embankment and came to rest in a ditch. Panagioti Katsetos was pronounced dead at the scene near milepost 10, on a rural stretch of county road between Frenchtown and Milford.
According to a report from Yahoo News, Katsetos was driving south on County Route 519 when his Kia SUV veered off the left side of the roadway before going down the embankment and into the ditch. The crash happened Wednesday morning, and as of the report, it remained under investigation.
News 12 Hudson Valley, which first reported the crash, cited New Jersey State Police as saying troopers responded to the motor vehicle crash on County Route 519 south near milepost 10 at about 8:45 a.m. That report attributed the account of the Kia running off the roadway to the left, down the embankment and into a ditch to a preliminary investigation.
A Stretch of Road With a Troubled History
County Route 519 in Kingwood Township has seen at least one other fatal crash in recent memory. A 31-year-old Stockton man, Kyle Gamble, was killed when the Harley Davidson motorcycle he was riding southbound on the same road crossed the center line and hit a ditch near milepost 8.2, according to Daily Voice. Gamble was thrown from the bike and pronounced dead at the scene, and the route was closed for more than two hours afterward while investigators worked the crash.
The cause of that motorcycle crash was never publicly resolved beyond remaining under investigation, the same as the circumstances surrounding Katsetos's death this week. No further details on Katsetos's crash, including whether any other factors contributed, have been released.
What Happens Next
Investigators have not released additional information about the cause of Wednesday's crash. Hoodline will update this story if New Jersey State Police or other officials share further findings on what led Katsetos's SUV to leave the roadway.
