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Driver who caused Deer Park pipeline explosion died by suicide

Viewer photo of Deer Park pipeline fire "right as it happened around 10 a.m. in the Walmart parking lot" (sent via Click2Pins) (Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.)

Medical examiners have ruled the driver who crashed into a pipeline in Deer Park died from suicide.

Back in mid-September, a pipeline explosion sent flames hundreds of feet into the air, prompting evacuations and road closures in the area.

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A driver, later identified by Harris County medical examiners as Jonathan McEvoy, 51, of Deer Park, went through a fence on the west side of Wal-Mart’s parking lot, located on Spencer Hwy. His vehicle entered the adjacent pipeline right-of-way and struck an above-ground pipeline valve.

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A motive was not shared, but KPRC 2′s Deven Clarke reported in late September that authorities were treating the incident as a criminal investigation. A medical examination revealed, however, that McEvoy died of suicide.

The temperature from the pipeline fire was so intense it torched a nearby playground. Firefighters hosed down their equipment and nearby homes, but that wasn’t enough to fight back against the radiant heat.

CLOSER LOOK: ‘Like something out of a movie’: Eyewitness recalls car crash that sparked Deer Park explosion

Many homes were damaged, dozens of residents were forced to evacuate the area and it took a little over three days before the pipeline’s flames extinguished.

As a result, investigators had to wait days until they reported finding McEvoy’s remains inside the charred vehicle he borrowed from his roommate.

RELATED: Deer Park pipeline blast: What we know about the nearby car

McEvoy’s family told KPRC 2 back in late September he recently started having seizures but wasn’t diagnosed and had not been on medication. They believe he had a seizure, which led to the crash.


About the Author
Ahmed Humble headshot

Historian, educator, writer, expert on "The Simpsons," amateur photographer, essayist, film & tv reviewer and race/religious identity scholar. Joined KPRC 2 in Spring 2024 but has been featured in various online newspapers and in the Journal of South Texas' Fall 2019 issue.