Police: ‘Joking’ steering wheel push led to fatal crash

VALPARAISO, Ind. - Police say a car crash that killed a northwest Indiana teenager occurred after the front seat passenger jokingly pushed on the steering wheel just before the car plowed into a utility pole.

The Porter County Sheriff’s Department says the 20-year-old woman passenger “pushed the steering wheel to the left in a joking manner” last Friday, causing the 20-year-old driver to lose control of his car, which left the road, struck a utility pole and rolled into a ditch.

Back seat passenger Ethan Schoonveld, a 17-year-old from DeMotte, died shortly after the crash.

Police say his injuries indicate he was not wearing a seat belt