Deadly crash at Massachusetts psychiatric hospital appears to have been intentional, sources say
DEVENS - A pickup truck driver died after crashing into the front of a psychiatric hospital in central Massachusetts early Wednesday morning. Sources told WBZ-TV's I-Team investigators believe it was intentional.
The crash happened just after 5:30 a.m. at the TaraVista Behavioral Health Center on Patton Road in Devens, just off of Route 2.
The driver was later identified as 62-year-old John Ahern, Jr. of West Boylston.
According to the Worcester County District Attorney's Office, the truck was on fire when firefighters arrived.
"The lone occupant of the vehicle was found to be deceased. No occupants of the building were injured," Lindsay Corcoran, a spokesperson for the D.A., said in a statement.
Driver connected to patient, I-Team sources say
Corcoran said the cause is still under investigation, but sources told WBZ-TV's I-Team that investigators have evidence leading them to believe the crash appears to have been intentional. That evidence includes information that the driver had a loved one who was treated at the facility.
"No comments at this time," someone at the Devens Fire Department told CBS News in a phone call after the crash.
"State Police assigned to the State Fire Marshal's office are working with local/state police to identify the origin and cause of the fire in support of the overall investigation," the state fire marshal's office told WBZ in an email.
The heavily damaged pickup truck was removed and towed away around 9:30 a.m. The building is still structurally sound, authorities said, and the center continued seeing patients Wednesday.
According to their website, TaraVista Behavioral Health Center is a "regional center for inpatient psychiatric care serving children, adolescents and adults."
The CEO told reporters the truck hit administrative offices and there was no one there at the time of the crash. No patients were hurt.
Nurse, staff praised
"The folks that were here in the building when this took place at 5:36 did an outstanding job. Our administrative nurse that's in charge of the building at that hour of the night responded absolutely by the book. I couldn't ask for more. And the whole staff came together and made sure that every one of the patients were safe," said TaraVista CEO Francis Sauvageau.
The center opened in 2016.
