Fred Henry Wilkinson Jr. died Friday afternoon when his Jeep slammed into other cars during a police chase on Chesnee Highway. The 61-year-old from Stone Drive in Spartanburg was wanted on burglary charges. Deputies from the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office tried to stop him around 12:50 p.m. near Bryant Road. He kept going instead of pulling over.
Wilkinson drove his 1998 Jeep north on U.S. Highway 221. He hit a 2024 Subaru that was turning onto the road. That impact pushed the Subaru across the center line into a 2021 GMC pickup. The crash happened right at the intersection of Chesnee Highway and Bryant Road in Spartanburg County. First responders found Wilkinson dead at the scene about 1:06 p.m.
He was not wearing a seat belt. The Spartanburg County Coroner’s Office confirmed that detail. An autopsy was set for Monday to look closer at what happened. The South Carolina Highway Patrol took over the crash investigation. No more details have come out yet about the exact cause of death.
The people in the Subaru and the GMC went to Spartanburg Medical Center. Their injuries were minor. Highway 221 stayed closed for a few hours while crews cleaned up the wreck. It opened back up by 5 p.m.
Wilkinson lived in Spartanburg. At 61 years old his life ended in a sudden pileup that started with a traffic stop that never happened. The sheriff’s office said the chase began because he was a wanted burglary suspect. He chose to run.
Neighbors nearby heard the noise and saw the lights. One woman who lives close by said it was heartbreaking to watch. She talked about how life is too precious and how people can always change if they stop and face things.
The crash left one man dead and two others hurt. Investigators are still piecing together the full sequence of the three-vehicle wreck. For now the facts show a pursuit that turned deadly on a busy county highway on a Friday afternoon.
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