Hamilton man arrested in fatal Linc crash last fall

Hamilton police have arrested a man involved in a fatal crash on the Lincoln Alexander Parkway in October, which killed one teen and seriously injured another.

It happened around 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 11, 2024 in the eastbound lanes of the Linc near the Upper Gage Avenue overpass.

Officers reported that a black Ford Focus and silver Infiniti were chasing a Toyota Rav 4 in the parking lot of St. Jean de Brébeuf Catholic Secondary School.

The Ford with three people inside then collided with the Toyota with four people inside, causing the Toyota to lose control and roll over several times.

Police say the Ford fled the scene.

One of the passengers of the Toyota died in hospital. He was identified as a 15-year-old Brébeuf student named Jayden Ezra Durant Russell.

Another passenger was seriously injured, while the driver and fourth passenger sustained minor injuries.

WATCH MORE: 1 teen dead, 2 in hospital after multi-vehicle crash on Hamilton’s Linc

Detectives said they believed the crash had stemmed from a fight between students at St. Jean de Brébeuf and Nora Frances Henderson high schools.

One day after the crash, investigators arrested and charged Vincenzino Stumpo of Hamilton, but the charges were later dropped in February.

The occupants of the Ford were not injured, and the driver went to a police station soon after the crash.

In an update Thursday, police say their investigation led them to arrest the driver of the Ford. Twenty-year-old Ezatullah Haidari of Hamilton has been charged with dangerous operation causing death and bodily harm, and criminal negligence causing death and bodily harm.

In October, officers said they were searching for the silver Infiniti they believed to have been involved in the fatal collision. They said the driver was “encouraged to turn himself in and speak to detectives.”

Anyone with further information is asked to contact police’s collision reconstruction unit at 905-546-4753 or reconunit@hamiltonpolice.ca.

WATCH MORE: Police believe Linc fatal crash connected to Hamilton high school rivalry