Police trying to determine events leading to Cape crash
Victim called an animal lover
Military officials are investigating why two men drove their sport utility vehicle into Otis Air National Guard Base on Saturday night before allegedly speeding through a steel barrier and causing a six-car pileup at a busy intersection in Falmouth, authorities said yesterday.
The two men had driven 4 miles through the base, drawing the attention of base security, before fleeing after base officials questioned them and contacted State Police.
A half-hour later, police say, their
The passenger in the SUV, Falmouth resident Michael Warren, 26, died early Sunday from injuries he sustained after he was ejected from his seat.
Police identified the driver of the SUV as Michael E. Catarius, 23, of Mashpee.
He remained in critical condition yesterday at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, police said yesterday afternoon.
Police were not pursuing the vehicle before it entered the base nor involved in a chase at the time of the accident, State Police said.
A spokesman for the Massachusetts National Guard referred all questions about the incident and base security to the Cape and Islands district attorney's office, where a spokesman said only that the matter was "very much under investigation."
Kipp was a longtime employee of Rhode Island-based Rockwell Amusements and loved his job of constructing carnivals, said his uncle, Thomas Kipp, 76, of Hopkinton.
Growing up, he helped his father raise animals and enjoyed working in the garden, his uncle said.
"He was the gentlest of the boys," Kipp said. "He was quiet and a good boy."
He met his wife at a carnival 20 years ago and enjoyed raising cats, dogs, goats, and cattle, Kipp said.
"His life was full," Kipp said. "He loved what he did."
Witnesses described the crash scene as chaotic and said that local authorities seemed overwhelmed by the extent of the damage. Debris from cars, which witnesses said included glass, tools, and shoes, covered an area the size of a football field.
Peter J. Jones, his wife, and 6-month-old daughter were driving in the family's Volvo station wagon when they saw the SUV strike another vehicle.
Jones stopped the car and watched as the SUV hurtled toward them, rolling over and bouncing twice before hitting the front of their car, Jones said.
"If we were 4 feet further from where we were, I think we would be all dead or all in the hospital," Jones said. "We were very lucky."
Hernandez can be reached at jhernandez@globe.com. 
