Fatal crash in Ohio leaves officer dead, 17-year-old charged with vehicular homicide

Jackson, Ohio — A teenager has been charged in connection with a crash that killed an off-duty police officer and injured another. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced the charges tied to the August 30, 2025 crash. Authorities say the crash happened around 2 a.m. on South Pennsylvania Avenue near Sixth Street in Jackson. Investigators say a 2014 Hyundai Accent, driven by a 17-year-old male, rear-ended a golf cart traveling south. According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the golf cart went off the left side of the road and hit a tree. The Hyundai stopped in the roadway. One of the passengers in the golf cart, 25-year-old Matthew Juniper of Wellston, died from his injuries. Juniper was a four-year member of the Wellston Police Department and had also worked as a deputy with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. The driver of the golf cart, 40-year-old Brant Derrow, also a Wellston police officer, was seriously injured. The teenager faces multiple charges in Jackson County Juvenile Court. These include two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, one count of aggravated vehicular assault, one count of vehicular assault, and two counts of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The case is being prosecuted by the Ohio Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Section. The defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.