PLAINVILLE – Massachusetts State Police said a man stole a Jeep from Gillette Stadium during the Kenny Chesney concert Saturday night and later plowed into a family of six who stopped at a red light, killing a 10-year-old boy.
It happened around 8:30 p.m. near the intersection of Route 1 and Interstate 495 in Plainville. State police said 42-year-old Michael Escolas of Oxford was speeding in a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee and crashed into the family’s Nissan Altima.
A man and woman were in the Nissan with their four children when they were hit by the stolen Jeep. The impact from the crash also damaged three other cars.
Massachusetts State Police troopers working the Kenny Chesney concert responded to the crash, along with Plainville police and seven ambulances from around the area.
The Norfolk District Attorney’s office said all six family members were taken to the hospital, as was the Escolas. The 10-year-old boy was later pronounced dead.
The extent of the boy’s parents and his siblings’ injuries were not released.
Investigators said the Jeep belongs to a Vermont couple who attended the concert at Gillette Stadium. Kenny Chesney performs in Foxboro again Sunday night, the finale of three weekend concerts at Gillette Stadium.
Escolas is expected to be arraigned Monday on motor vehicle homicide while under the influence, theft of a motor vehicle and other charges. He is currently being held on $25,000 cash bail.
No further information is available at this time.