Empire man killed when he crashed stolen vehicle into tree

An Empire man who died when he crashed a stolen Toyota into a tree near Hughson last weekend was identified by the Stanislaus County Coroner's Office Wednesday as Jajuan Barnett.

The 18-year-old was northbound on Santa Fe Avenue just before noon on Sunday when, for unknown reasons, he let the Toyota drift right near Redwood Road, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Thomas Olsen.

When the Toyota hit the dirt shoulder Barnett attempted to re-enter the roadway but the vehicle rotated in a clockwise direction as it continued east off the road.

Olsen said the vehicle began to overturn and its roof hit a large Eucalyptus tree.

Barnett died at the scene. The Toyota he was driving had been reported stolen out of Turlock prior to the crash, Olsen said.

This story was originally published October 18, 2017 at 1:42 PM with the headline "Empire man killed when he crashed stolen vehicle into tree."