Ala. Police Officer Killed When Cruiser Hits Tree in On-Duty Crash

Citronelle Police Officer Dylan Owen was killed when his patrol SUV left the road and struck a tree, with a bystander witnessing the crash and rushing to call 9-1-1.
Source Officer.com News
May 15, 2026
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What to know

  • Citronelle Police Officer Dylan Owen was killed when his cruiser left the road and struck a tree during a single-vehicle crash while on duty.
  • A witness saw the crash, called 9-1-1 and ran to help as another officer arrived and attempted to revive him.
  • Owen, a recent Rookie of the Year honoree who joined the department in 2024, died at the scene.
Citronelle, AL, Police Department
Citronelle Police Officer Dyland Owen


Citronelle Police Officer Dylan Owen, who joined his department in 2024 and earned Rookie of the Year last year, died Thursday after his cruiser left the roadway and crashed into a tree during his shift.

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An Alabama police officer was killed when his cruiser struck a tree in a single-vehicle crash Thursday.

Citronelle Police Officer Dylan Owen, 26, was on duty and driving his department SUV at about 3:30 p.m. when the crash happened, WKRG-TV reports. According to a bystander, Owen's cruiser exited the road and struck a tree.

"And right at that split second, whenever I seen him, he hit that tree," Olivia Ridderbjelke, who witnessed the crash, told WKRG. "And as soon as he hit that tree, I took off running. And I called 9-1-1,"

Another officer arrived at the scene and began tending to the officer. But Owen had died immediately.

“(The other officer) showed up, and he tried to get him to respond, and it wasn’t happening,” Ridderbjelke told WKRG.

Owen had been with the department since 2024. Last year, he was named Rookie of the Year for the agency.

“I just can’t believe this because he’s such a good man,” Ridderbjelke told WKRG.

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Joe Vince
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Joe Vince

Joining Endeavor Business Media in 2018, Joe has worked on the company's city services publications. He began working at OFFICER.com as the assistant editor. Before starting at Endeavor, Joe had worked for a variety of print and online news outlets, including the Indianapolis Star, the South Bend Tribune, Reddit and Patch.com.
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