Late Sunday night in Hartford, the kind of chaos people dread unfolded in a matter of seconds. Just before midnight, at the 1510 block of Albany Avenue, a violent collision left one man dead at the scene—and another fighting for his life, only to succumb hours later. By Wednesday, that second victim had also passed, turning this tragedy into a double fatality.
At the heart of the horror was a police intervention gone wrong. Officers say they tried pulling over a car for multiple vehicle violations. The driver, later identified as Jammie Martin, 34, reportedly sped off instead of stopping. Within moments, that escape turned catastrophic: his vehicle crossed into oncoming traffic and rammed head-on into a Ford Fiesta driven by Adrian L. Service, 25.
Service, a Hartford resident, was trapped in his vehicle after impact. Rescuers extricated him, but he was already fatally wounded and pronounced dead at the scene. Meanwhile, Martin was ejected from his car as it erupted into flames. Firefighters doused the blaze quickly, and emergency responders performed a rapid trauma evaluation before rushing him to Saint Francis Hospital. He battled for his life but passed away days later.
As the scene cooled and investigators sprang into action, they uncovered disturbing evidence inside Martin’s vehicle: a firearm and illicit drugs. Additionally, Martin was already known to law enforcement. Records show he had been convicted in 2021 for unlawful firearm possession and was listed on Connecticut’s Deadly Weapon Offender Registry. He had been released from prison in June 2025, owing in part to credit for time served before his sentence.
Residents near the crash site say the night was shattered by terror. Ocean Westberry, who lives across the street, recalled hearing screeching tires followed by “a very loud boom” that felt as though the explosion came from inside their apartment. The impact was so violent it shattered more than just metal and glass—it stirred fear into the community.
Emergency crews shut down Albany Avenue between Mark Twain Drive and Homestead Avenue for hours while police, fire marshals, and forensic teams scoured the scene for clues. Investigators marked evidence, photographed the wreckage from every angle, and combed for witnesses. The Hartford Police Department confirmed its investigation is ongoing. Any bystander with information has been urged to come forward.
Nobody wins in moments like these. Two lives extinguished, lives left behind forever altered, and a neighborhood now haunted by what happened on that October night.