CASCO (WGME) – Investigators say drag racing may have caused a crash that killed a teenager in Casco Wednesday morning.
Just before 7 a.m., police say two cars were driving north on Tenney Hill Road.
One of them left the roadway and hit several trees.
The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office says 19-year-old Dylan Chretien of Bridgton died at the scene.
The only other person in the car was a 20-year-old Casco man who is still in critical condition at Maine Medical Center as of Wednesday afternoon.
Investigators are looking into whether or not the two cars were drag racing.
“There is belief that maybe these cars were drag racing," Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce said. “If so, clearly it was a needless crash that didn’t have to happen.”
At this time, they’re not certain about what caused the crash.
Cumberland County deputies say the second car involved had three people inside, all of them in their late teens or early twenties.
Deputies aren’t sure if the two cars crashed into each other.
They do believe speed is a likely factor for the car that crashed into the trees.
Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce says if this crash was a result of drag racing, he’s calling it reckless.
“To have a young adult killed is clearly needless, and we’ll be working really hard with the District Attorney’s Office, the Medical Examiners and Windham PD to actually put the facts together and determine what exactly happened this morning,” Joyce said.
Last week was the beginning of what AAA calls the 100 dangerous days for teenage drivers.
Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, AAA says 30 percent of teenage driver deaths happen during this stretch.
Several people, including some who know the victims personally, have stopped by the site of the crash.
“Just all around they were good, good kids. So, they’ll be sadly missed by a lot," said Angela Horta.