Lake County, Indiana – A fatal crash early Monday morning claimed the life of a Munster police officer in unincorporated Lake County, just south of St. John.
According to the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, officers responded around 1:05 a.m. to a two-vehicle collision in the 11400 block of Wicker Avenue (U.S. 41). The crash involved a Dodge Ram pickup truck and a semi-truck. The driver of the pickup, identified as 31-year-old Officer Ryan Perez, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities said Officer Perez had served with the Munster Police Department for three to four months after transferring from an Illinois agency. He was off duty and driving his personal vehicle at the time of the crash.
Investigators believe the pickup was traveling north on U.S. 41 when it collided with the southbound semi. The semi-truck driver was uninjured and was taken by his employer to a local hospital for required Department of Transportation testing.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Department Crash Reconstruction Unit, the Detective Bureau, and the Lake County Coroner’s Office are investigating the cause of the crash, including potential contributing factors.
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