Teen killed and 4 seriously hurt when Abington police chase ends with stolen car slamming into tree, D.A. says

A 17-year-old boy was killed and four other teenagers between the ages of 14 and 17 were seriously hurt in a horrific crash involving a stolen car in Abington Wednesday morning, authorities said.

Abington Police Chief John Bonney said an officer called in a "failure to stop" on Walnut Street at 7:47 a.m. for a speeding car that had been reported stolen in Brockton on Tuesday morning. The pursuit lasted only a few minutes before the car went off the road and slammed into a tree on Washington Street, Bonney said.

A boy and two girls who had life-threatening injuries were taken to Boston hospitals, Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz said. One of the girls was ejected from the vehicle, police said.

The teen driver was pronounced dead at the scene. He was identified by authorities on Thursday as Sebastian Hamilton of Weymouth.

Debris from the car was scattered around a yard. Police closed off Washington Street between Central Street and Lincoln Boulevard for several hours for their investigation. Drivers were asked to stay away from the neighborhood but the road has since reopened.

The pursuing officer is on leave for reasons related to his "well-being," Bonney said. That officer has been on the job for less than two years. 

"And I will say about this officer, is he is just a kind, caring human being. And on a human level, this is difficult," Bonney said.

Detectives from the Plymouth district attorney's office are investigating the incident, Bonney added.

"The care that they gave these complete strangers, treating each patient like they were their own family is unbelievable," Bonney said of the first responders.

"You could just tell that it was a horrific accident," said Melissa Clark, who lives in the area. "It's awful. You don't want to see that. You think it's a weekday morning, people leaving for work, kids going off to their summer jobs and you just see that. That just kind of shook me as a mom."

Abington, Massachusetts is about 21 miles south of Boston.