An Elkhart man died after a vehicle caught fire and exploded in St. Joseph County.
It happened around 3:40 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2, in the 1900 block of Adams Road.
St. Joseph County Dispatch says emergency crews were called by neighbors who reported a “loud explosion”, according to 95.3 MNC’s reporting partners at ABC 57.
Crews arrived to find a pick-up truck on fire and Nicolas D. Oliver, 33, dead, several feet away.
At this time, detectives believe Oliver was working on the truck with a torch, sparking an explosion of the gasoline tank on the truck.
The St. Joseph County Police Department issued the following update:
On Saturday, November 2, 2019 at approximately 3:40 a.m. St. Joseph County Police were dispatched to the area of 19800 Adams Road in Clay Township in St. Joseph County for a “loud explosion” called in by multiple neighbors.
Upon arrival, patrol officers discovered a large pick-up truck fully engulfed in flames. Also discovered approximately 8 to 10 feet from the burning vehicle was a deceased person, also engulfed in flames. The deceased has been identified as Nicolas D. Oliver, age 33 of Elkhart.
At this time, detectives believe Oliver was working on the truck with a torch, sparking an explosion of the gasoline tank on the truck. St. Joseph County Police Detectives and Clay Fire Department will continue to investigate the activity leading up to the explosion, as well as the cause of the explosion. Due to the charred condition of the truck, detectives are currently unable to identify an owner of the vehicle. The St. Joseph County Coroner’s Office has scheduled an autopsy for Tuesday morning.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call our department at 574-235-9569 or Crime Stoppers at 574-288-STOP.
