Driver killed after leading Collier deputies on chase, causing brush fire

NAPLES, Fla. – A driver was killed Monday morning after crashing into a tree during a high-speed chase and subsequently causing a brush fire, officials said.

The driver, who was not immediately identified, died at the scene.

A deputy attempted to initiate a traffic stop on the 3000 block of Golden Gate Boulevard at about 10:58 a.m. for speeding, but the vehicle did not stop, the department said.

A passenger exited the vehicle and fled on foot at Golden Gate and Weber boulevards, the sheriff’s office said. Deputies are still searching for the passenger.

“At one point during the pursuit the driver was heading eastbound in the westbound lanes of Oil Well Road,” the department said in a statement.

Following a 17 mile pursuit, the vehicle crashed in a wooded area near the intersection of Camp Keais and Oil Well roads, located south of Immokalee, after stop sticks were deployed, officials said. The vehicle veered into a wooded area, caught fire and exploded, the department said.

The vehicle is registered to Adam Zelske, 22, of Palmetto Dunes Circle in Naples. Deputies tried to serve a probation violation warrant on Zelske at about 7 a.m. Monday.

“A person at the residence pointed to a fleeing vehicle and told deputies that Zelske was the driver of the vehicle,” the department said.

Deputies terminated their pursuit then due to safety concerns, the sheriff’s office said.