The driver and victims in a fiery fatal crash that occured on July 11 have been identified. The driver of the fleeing vehicle has been identified as 41-year-old Joseph Mario Cady of St. Paul, and was listed in critical condition as of July 12. His passenger, 30-year-old St. Paul resident Jessica Lynn Sellers died of her injuries due to the crash.
While fleeing officers, Cady swerved into oncoming traffic and struck the vehicle of Wyoming resident Debra Lee Hirsch, age 59, who is listed in serious condition on July 12.
The fiery head-on crash in Linwood began with a shoplifting incident in North Branch that morning. At 10:48 a.m., an employee at Cartfull in North Branch reported alleged shoplifters, and was able to get the license plate and vehicle description of the suspects. That vehicle, which had previously been reported to be stolen out of Washington County, was spotted by a Wyoming police officer just ten minutes later traveling southbound on I-35 and exiting onto East Viking Boulevard. The police officer followed the suspect vehicle west into Linwood, and when a Chisago County Sheriff’s Office deputy initiated a traffic stop at 11:01 a.m., the car fled. Cady crossed into oncoming traffic in a no-pass zone near the Linwood Country Store and Pizza, and struck the car being driven by Hirsch head-on, at which point both vehicles started on fire. The Wyoming officer and Chisago County deputy put out the fires and gave medical aid to all three involved in the crash.Â
Both Cady and Sellers were life-flighted to a nearby hospital with critical injuries. Sellers died later that afternoon as a result of the crash. Hirsch's dog which was in the vehicle at the time of the crash died.
The Anoka County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota State Patrol are conducting a crash investigation.
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