Apr 26, 2019 1 min read

A 15-year-old Wheeling boy was killed in a two-vehicle accident on Interstate 70 late Thursday night.

According to a state police report, the accident occurred about 11:18 p.m. in the westbound lane of I-70 near the Chestnut Street exit in North Franklin Township.

Police said Patrick Niebres, 27, of Jacksonville, Fla., was stopped in the right lane due to traffic when Jonathan Gracey, 51, of Wheeling, crashed his Honda Civic into the rear of Niebres’ tractor-trailer.

The boy, Robert James Gracey, was a passenger in the elder Gracey’s vehicle. He was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Jonathan Gracey suffered a potentially serious injury and was transported to UPMC-Presbyterian hospital in Pittsburgh. Niebres was not injured.

Both Jonathan Gracey and Niebres were wearing seat belts, and it is not currently known if Robert Gracey was wearing his.

State police were assisted at the scene by Washington County Ambulance and Chair, North Franklin Fire Department, Canton Township Fire Department and PennDOT.

The crash remains under investigation by state police.