Ashton Kepler was 17 years old and lived in Newark, New York. His life ended late Sunday night along a dark stretch of road in the nearby Town of Arcadia.
Kepler was riding a motorcycle westbound on Wood Lane right around midnight. The road was quiet, and there was little to no traffic at that hour.
The motorcycle suddenly crossed off the north side of the pavement. The bike dropped off the edge and went into a roadside ditch.
The crash threw Kepler off the bike and into the tree line running beside the ditch. The motorcycle came to rest near the trees.
Emergency crews arrived at the scene shortly after midnight. First responders walked through the brush along the north side of the road and found Kepler lying near the trees.
Medics immediately started life-saving measures on the scene. They worked to stabilize the teenager before loading him into an ambulance.
An ambulance brought Kepler to Newark-Wayne Community Hospital. Medical staff treated him upon arrival, but doctors pronounced him dead from fatal injuries.
Word of the crash spread quickly through Newark on Monday morning. Friends, classmates, and neighbors faced the sudden loss of a teenager who grew up in their community.
The New York State Police are leading the investigation into the crash. Troopers have not said what caused the motorcycle to leave the road, and the investigation remains open.
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