‘The scene was chaotic’: Worcester police address rumors surrounding crash that killed teen girl

The Worcester Police Department provided an update on a Saturday night crash that killed a 13-year-old girl and injured four other teenagers.

In a Wednesday press conference, officials confirmed that the four surviving teens remain in the hospital. One is in critical condition, and the other three are in stable condition. The police are not releasing the teenagers’ identities.

Worcester officials also tried to clear up reports on social media that two police officers ignored the crash. 

“There was a narrative that the officers turned around when they knew there was a crash and intentionally went in the opposite direction,” officials said.

Police referred to that notion as “100% false,” explaining that the two officers in question were working on an assignment nearby to retrieve a cruiser for another officer that had been sent to the hospital. 

The stolen white SUV passed the two officers, officials explained, and while they observed “erratic behavior” they did not pursue the vehicle. Instead, they informed the appropriate police dispatch of the SUV’s location. The police explained that they did not know that the SUV was stolen at this time.

The officers made a U-Turn and located the vehicle they were assigned to retrieve. Shortly after the crash occurred, the two officers assisted with medical aid at the “chaotic” scene, officials said. 

“They would not have gotten the cruiser had they known about the serious crash,” one officer said.

The Worcester police said they wanted to disperse “false narratives surrounding the crash” so the “families can grieve in peace.”

The crash remains an active criminal case, officials confirmed.