Jim Boeheim devastated but won’t be charged after I-690 crash results in a death
By Bobby Manning
Syracuse men’s basketball coach Jim Boeheim struck and killed a man late on Wednesday night driving alone, but likely will not face charges in what appears to be an accident, according to Syracuse police.
Jorge Jimenez, 51 years old of Syracuse, died following the two-car accident on I-690 East after being transported to Upstate University Hospital, according to Detective George Hack. No charges nor tickets were given and Boeheim cooperated fully, per Syracuse Police Department.
The crash is under investigation, but police believe Jimenez and three others exited their vehicle in the middle of the interstate after they crashed for unknown reasons. They then proceeded to walk alongside it when Boeheim’s vehicle approached.
Icy conditions hit Syracuse on Wednesday night, but they was not directly attributed to either incident. Hack did not know if police were responding to the initial accident involving Jimenez. When Boeheim reached the vehicle in the road, Syracuse police said he tried to avoid it and struck Jimenez in the process. An additional injury was later reported by Chief Kenton Buckner.
Boeheim passed an on-site blood alcohol content test and stayed on scene, cooperating fully with police upon arrival, Hack said.
Adam Weitsman, a long-time Boeheim family friend and owner of Upstate Shredding, said he heard about Boeheim’s crash on Thursday morning and texted him to pray for his family. They talked on the phone, discussing what the coach’s next move should be ahead of the nationally-televised game against the Duke Blue Devils on Saturday.
"I know he's torn,” Weitsman said. “He asked me my opinion and I said, you know, this is a tragedy and we agreed today was not a good day to go to practice. Adrian (Autry), Gerry (McNamara) and the guys can easily handle practice. They're totally capable of running practice today, but I thought it was good he went in to talk to the guys.”
Boeheim released a statement expressing that he was heartbroken and sent his sympathy to the Jimenez family. Weitsman said Boeheim felt devastated during their conversation.
SU Athletics did respond to inquiry about Boeheim’s status for Saturday’s game, but confirmed he met briefly with the team in a statement by Director of Athletics John Wildhack. Wildhack extended condolences to everyone impacted by the event on behalf of SU.
Syracuse Police Chief Buckner held an afternoon press conference and clarified that he does not expect Boeheim to be charged and called the incident a tragedy. Lt. David Brown said that Jimenez’s car was perpendicular to the guardrail in the middle of the interstate, suspected dark conditions played a role and that four passengers appeared to attempt to cross the road for safety.
ESPN cancelled College GameDay following the incident “due to the recent tragedy, and after careful consideration due to the celebratory nature of the show” in a statement by the network.
Despite registering 0.00 in a breathalyzer test, per Syracuse police, Weitsman emphasized that Boeheim does not drink. The two attended a New Year’s Eve party and he remembered the coach not even taking a toast.
“(Boeheim) feels it's a really bad tragedy,” he said. “He told me the car was in the middle of the highway and there was no way to get around it, the roads were bad and it was dark.”
Buckner said that Boeheim did everything the police expected him to do in that situation: call 911, assist the victim and attempt to stop traffic with an iPhone light. District Attorney William J. Fitzpatrick joined Buckner and Brown at the press conference.
Boeheim left practice to McNamara, Weitsman said. Hack said he imagines it will be a difficult time for Boeheim’s family. Syracuse police added in their statement that they’re seeking information from the public in the ongoing investigation.
“The roads were bad,” Weitsman said. “690 is dark. If you've ever been on that, it's not like this lit highway, it's dark as anything, and then you got the bad roads. Then you come up on a car that you don't expect, it's like a deer in the road.”