CONEMAUGH TOWNSHIP, Pa. --
A Blairsville man died in a crash that police said was apparently caused by a street race, and state troopers are looking for the other driver who was involved.
Two people in another car were injured in the collision with Gerald Halldin Jr.'s vehicle Saturday night on Route 286 in Conemaugh Township, Indiana County.
"They're driving down the road, minding their own business, doing nothing wrong, and lo and behold, out of nowhere, you see a vehicle come in your lane on that roadway at a high rate of speed. There's not too much they could really do at that particular point in time," Trooper John Matchik said.
Police said the 45-year-old Halldin was pronounced dead at the scene where his 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 collided with an oncoming Hyundai Elantra.
Coroner Michael Baker said the 911 call came in around 8:45 p.m. Halldin was pronounced dead shortly before 9:30 p.m.
Police said Halldin was driving the wrong way in the westbound lane, trying to pass a Chevrolet Corvette, when his car slammed head-on into the Elantra.
"It's very important for us to try and get some help from the public, because if we can determine and ascertain, in fact, there was a race during the time of the crash, that other driver of the other vehicle who fled the scene would surely be facing possible charges," Matchik said.
Results of toxicology tests on Halldin are pending, Baker said.
Two people in the oncoming car were flown to Pittsburgh hospitals by helicopter. Their conditions are not known.
Neighbor Steve Cup told Channel 4 Action News reporter Ashlie Hardway that the crash "sounded like thunder." He said drivers often speed on the road.
"The vehicles were actually souped up, so they did have some enhancements done to them to make them perform at a much quicker speed, much faster pace, and so forth," Matchik said.
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