Top officials from Deer Park and La Porte have confirmed that the SUV crash which led to the devastating pipeline explosion and fire near their border on September 16 was not an accident and was not caused by the driver experiencing a medical event.
The mayor of Deer Park and the emergency response coordinator of La Porte made statements without providing any supporting details or evidence. However, the family members firmly believe that the driver suffered a seizure prior to the crash.
Deer Park Mayor Jerry Mouton, Jr., emphasized that the incident was being treated as a criminal investigation. According to him, it was clearly an intentional act and not simply an accident. “You don’t just accidentally end up where that car ended up at,” Mayor Mouton stated.
According to Johnny Morales, La Porte’s emergency management coordinator, the cause of the crash was not related to a medical issue. Morales and Mouton did not provide any additional information regarding the incident.
Mouton suggested checking with the police department for updates on the investigation report. According to him, the case has been thoroughly investigated and resolved.
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The Deer Park Police Department is currently conducting an ongoing investigation, and as of now, no report has been released, according to a spokesperson.
Deer Park Police Lieutenant Chris Brown emphasized the importance of relying on factual information when discussing the incident. He stated that the department is currently awaiting the completion of the medical examiner’s investigation before drawing any conclusions. As of now, no determinations have been made regarding the matter.
The family of Jonathan McEvoy, Sr., the 51-year-old man who tragically lost his life in the fire, was taken aback by the unexpected remarks made by the mayor of Deer Park and the emergency official of La Porte. Jonathan had been driving a white Lexus SUV when it crashed through a chain-link fence and collided with the above-ground pipeline, following his departure from a Walmart Supercenter parking lot in the vicinity.
“We were all under the impression that he had a seizure,” said Jonathan McEvoy Jr., the man’s eldest son, during a quick phone call while he was working the night shift at a refinery on Tuesday. He mentioned that no one from Deer Park had informed him that the investigation into his father’s death had concluded.
After this article was published, Kaitlyn Bluejacket, a spokesperson for Deer Park mayor Mouton, sent an email statement late on Wednesday. The statement presented a different perspective on the events discussed in the Tuesday interview with Mouton, which was recorded and previously shared with the Houston Landing.
According to Bluejacket, the Mayor’s message implied that the driver of the car did not lose control of the wheel, as it originated from the Walmart parking lot. He suggested that the incident could be attributed to either a medical emergency or an intentional criminal act. This is why the authorities are treating it as a criminal investigation in order to determine if there was any criminal negligence involved.
Delma McEvoy, who was married to Jonathan McEvoy, Sr. for nearly 28 years before they amicably divorced almost two years ago, firmly believes that there is no way her ex-husband would have intentionally crashed the car.
Delma McEvoy expressed her disbelief, stating, “I don’t believe that. That’s not something he would do. He doesn’t have that in him to do something like that.”
According to her, her ex-husband had been experiencing sporadic seizures lately, where his body would become rigid and he would regain consciousness without any recollection of the event.
Jonathan McEvoy, Sr., was in the process of seeking treatment for seizures when he crashed the SUV into the pipeline, according to Delma McEvoy. She mentioned that the evaluation of his condition had been delayed due to bureaucratic issues related to workers compensation medical coverage. This was after he had a seizure while working at his previous job for a package delivery company and fell.
According to Delma McEvoy, the police were informed by family members about the seizures, the workers comp case, and the co-worker who witnessed the fall.
According to Brown, the spokesperson for the Deer Park police, the possibility of a seizure leading to the crash has been taken into consideration. However, it is important to note that the investigation is still ongoing.
Family members have been left with the perception that investigators have held the belief for a considerable time that the collision was deliberate.
Delma McEvoy believes that investigators are struggling to understand how it would be feasible for her ex-husband’s SUV to leave the paved Walmart parking lot, cross a wide grassy field, and ultimately collide with one of the above-ground pipeline structures in the vicinity, in the event that he was unconscious due to a seizure.
According to her, the investigators have been questioning the likelihood of someone having a seizure and then accelerating and hitting that specific spot.
Delma McEvoy mentioned that investigators had inquired about any potential notes left by Jonathan McEvoy Sr., as well as any recent conflicts or possible involvement in a paid scheme to damage the pipeline.
No note was left behind, no arguments were made, and there was no indication of anything out of the ordinary in the days and hours leading up to the Monday morning crash on September 16, she stated.
Delma McEvoy received a call from her ex-husband on the Saturday before the crash. As per their usual routine, he wanted to know how their youngest son was settling into his first semester at college. They also discussed his recent work trip to Utah and caught up on other events.
“He was his usual self, and we had a great time laughing and talking,” she shared. On Sunday, he accompanied our eldest son on errands.”
According to Delma McEvoy, her ex-husband’s roommate has informed the family that Monday morning before the 10 a.m. crash was just as ordinary and uneventful.
Delma McEvoy shared that her roommate had a simple plan for the morning: to head to Walmart and purchase some shoes. Their house in Deer Park was conveniently located just five minutes away from the store. Although he had invited his roommate to join him, she declined as she wasn’t interested in shopping.
After borrowing his roommate’s white SUV, Jonathan McEvoy Sr. made his way to Walmart. As he wasn’t accustomed to driving the vehicle, he kindly sent a text message to his roommate to inform her of his safe arrival, according to Delma McEvoy.
Several witnesses in the parking lot that morning later told reporters that they had witnessed a peculiar sight. They saw an SUV slowly moving with a possibly elderly driver, possibly a woman, hunched over the steering wheel. The vehicle then unexpectedly veered off Walmart’s paved parking lot and accelerated as it drove across the grassy utility right of way. Eventually, it crashed through the chain-link fence that surrounded the natural gas liquids pipeline operated by Energy Transfer Company.
The completion date for the investigation by the Deer Park Police Department remains uncertain. According to a spokesperson from the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, the medical examiner’s investigation is still pending, and no estimated date has been provided for its completion.