GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — A man is dead after his motorcycle crashed into two cars on Fulton Street Tuesday afternoon, the Grand Rapids Police Department says.
The crash happened around 4 p.m. on East Fulton, near Jefferson Avenue SE.
Working at Gita Pita on the street corner on Tuesday, Austin Seamans described the scene as "just crazy and chaos."
Police say a group of three motorcycles were riding on Fulton when two of them hit a van, then another vehicle.
"I just heard the motorcycle blew up," Seamans said. "So, I went out there to see if it was okay. I saw there's like two motorcycles that crashed, two people were down and then the family inside the van."
One of the motorcyclists, now identified as 31-year-old Grand Rapids man Wade Freeman, died from his injuries.
Three people in the van and the other motorcyclist that crashed were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Fulton Street was closed in both directions for around 3.5 hours while crews cleaned up.
Police Chief Eric Winstrom told 13 ON YOUR SIDE multiple calls were placed to emergency services before the crash, saying the group was driving recklessly and at extreme speeds.
Based on the scene, Seamans said he believed it.
"Another guy, he like from [the street corner], flew all the way up to the church," Seaman said. "So yeah, so from the point of impact to slide all the way up there, you've got to be going pretty fast to get to that."
Winstrom said on Wednesday that GRPD has spoken with multiple witnesses in the area at the time of the crash, that believed a race may have started among the motorcycles.
"It sounds like they came to a stop at Division [Avenue], sort of used that as a starting point for probably a race and, traveling at a very high rate of speed, drove right into the side of a minivan, causing Mr. Wade Freeman to crash his motorcycle and be thrown from his motorcycle," Winstrom said. "You know, the bike caught fire, and unfortunately, he lost his life."
The chief urged the city to reflect on this tragic incident to discourage others from doing the same.
"I hope that other motorcyclists or parents, people involved in these individuals' lives, will reflect on this and say that, you know, it's not worth it," Winstrom said. "There are legal ways to have fun on a motorcycle that don't involve something as dangerous as this."
Winstrom said the investigation remains open and that, while GRPD currently remains focused on getting answers for Freeman's family among others, he would not discount the possibility of charges being brought in the future.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Traffic Unit at (616) 456-3771.
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