One killed in crash near Modesto’s Downey High School

A man was killed after the stolen vehicle he was driving went off the road, crashed into a tree and caught fire near Modesto’s Downey High School on Thursday afternoon.

The crash on Wylie Drive occurred near Brighton Avenue on the back side of the school about 1 p.m.

According to the Modesto Police Department, an officer saw a Mercedes-Benz speeding south on Oakdale Road near Merle Avenue, said department spokeswoman Heather Graves.

The officer caught up to the Mercedes as it used the lane meant for turning right onto westbound East Briggsmore Avenue to pass cars going south.

The officer temporarily lost sight of the car until it turned right onto Wylie Drive, where it eventually crashed into a tree right before the road dead-ends into Brighton. The impact uprooted the tree and mangled the front of the car, which caught fire.

Firefighters with the Modesto Fire Department, on scene minutes after the crash, quickly extinguished the fire. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

As officers were investigating the crash, the owner of the Mercedes-Benz called to report the car stolen.

No other information was released Thursday afternoon, including the name and age of the driver.

This story was originally published July 2, 2015 at 1:53 PM with the headline "One killed in crash near Modesto’s Downey High School."