- Cellphone video shows two drivers raging before a crash.
- One driver was an off-duty police officer who left scene.
- Teen driver walked away after Jeep rolled into median.
I-25 in Colorado is much like any other major highway. Speeds run high, tempers occasionally run higher. Last August, one flare-up of road rage spiraled far beyond the drivers involved and ended with an innocent third party crashing. Now footage of the incident has surfaced, and it shows that one of the drivers involved was an off-duty police officer.
The crash happened in the middle of the day while Polly Voss, a registered nurse, was riding northbound on I-25 toward Wyoming. What started as a normal highway drive quickly escalated when she noticed two vehicles aggressively brake-checking each other in the express lane.
“It was really 10 out of 10 intensity level,” Voss told CBS Colorado. “I’m thinking a gun is coming out next… this is escalating.”
More: Cybertruck Flips Over After Alleged Road Rage Attack
Sure enough, things did escalate, but probably not in the way she suspected. In a video shot by Voss, we see a white Audi Q5 ahead of a Subaru Crosstrek. Someone in the Audi leans far out of the passenger window as they look back and yell at the Subaru.
Then, the Crosstrek driver, later identified as off-duty police officer Jack Ross, swerves out of the lane, across double lines (like an HOV lane), and into the middle lane. A Jeep Liberty already in that lane swerves right to avoid Ross.
The Jeep driver over-corrects, loses control, moves back across the middle and left lane, and then goes off of the road into the median. It’s there that the Liberty rolls onto its side. Voss made an immediate choice.
“I’m thinking the person in the white Jeep is probably dead,” she said. Instead, the teen walked away without serious injuries. Voss described it as nothing short of miraculous.
Police Confirm Ross’ Engagement
According to the Colorado State Patrol, the cellphone footage helped investigators identify the drivers involved in the road rage incident. One of them was Jack Ross, a 33-year-old officer with the Keenesburg Police Department who was off duty and driving his personal vehicle.
Troopers say Ross had been tailgating another driver and was “actively road raging” before the crash occurred. He has since been charged with reckless driving and failure to report an accident or return to the scene, both misdemeanor offenses.
Investigators say Ross left the area after the crash. When troopers later spoke with him, Ross reportedly said he hadn’t realized a crash had occurred. Importantly, investigators noted that his wife told them she saw the crash and commented that she hoped the driver was okay, to which Ross allegedly replied, ” It wasn’t their fault”. Ross declined to comment through his attorneys.
If convicted, Ross faces up to 90 days in jail and a fine of $300. It’s plausible that he’d also get points on his license or even have it suspended. That said, there’s no way to know how his job might end up affected until the case against him is over.
Credit: CBS Colorado
