Watertown driver stops, calls 911 after fatal State Route 12 crash

TOWN OF TRENTON, New York (WWNY) – A 56-year-old Trenton man is dead after deputies say he was walking in the middle of State Route 12 when a van driven by a Watertown man struck him.

Oneida County deputies were first called to State Route 12 and Mappa Avenue in the Town of Trenton Thursday at 10:15pm after reports of a man walking in the roadway. While responding, deputies received a second call of a pedestrian getting struck by a vehicle in the same area.

When deputies arrived, they found a man dead in the southbound lane of State Route 12. Due to the nature of the incident, the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Unit and Forensic Identification Unit responded to assist.

The victim has been identified as Aaron Sosnowski, 56, of the Town of Trenton.

Investigators say preliminary findings show Sosnowski was walking in the middle of the southbound lane when he was struck by a white 2018 GMC utility van traveling south on State Route 12. Tyreke Baxter, 24, of Watertown, was driving the van, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

After the vehicle struck Sosnowski, Baxter stopped, called 911 and stayed on scene until deputies arrived, according to the Saturday morning news release.

State Route 12 was closed for a time while members of the Sheriff’s Office reconstructed the crash.

The Oneida County Sheriff’s Office was assisted on scene by the New York State Police, the Barneveld Fire Department and the Onondaga County Medical Examiner’s Office.

The investigation remains ongoing. No charges have been announced at this time.