Jaden Fargen Obituary, Death; – The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office has identified the 24-year-old victim involved in a high-speed pursuit that culminated in a vehicle rollover in the Town of Caledonia over the weekend.
On Monday, the victim was named as Jaden Fargen, a resident of Bangor. The driver of the vehicle has been identified as 22-year-old Jeremiah Johnson.
Johnson faces charges of homicide due to intoxicated operation of a vehicle. He made his initial court appearance on Tuesday afternoon and is currently being held at the Columbia County Jail on a cash bond of $100,000.
According to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, shortly before 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, a deputy was patrolling westbound on I-90/94 near the interchange with I-39 in the Town of Caledonia. The Sheriff’s Office reported that a vehicle traveling westbound passed the deputy at an excessive speed. The deputy attempted to initiate a traffic stop; however, the vehicle did not comply and allegedly accelerated to over 100 mph while weaving through traffic.
The deputy promptly requested additional assistance and began administering first aid and life-saving measures to the vehicle’s occupants. One passenger, who was ejected from the vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene. Two other passengers were airlifted to nearby hospitals with life-threatening injuries.
The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office indicated that both speed and intoxication were contributing factors in the incident. Authorities are continuing their investigation and have indicated that Johnson may face additional charges.
