On Friday, August 30, 2024, at approximately 8:15 a.m., Temple Police Department officers responded to the 2100 block of S 9th Street following reports of a vehicle fire. Upon arrival, officers discovered a vehicle that had crashed into a residence and was fully engulfed in flames. The vehicle had been traveling east on Avenue U before leaving the roadway, hitting a parked car and the residence. Both the residence and the parked vehicle were unoccupied at the time of the incident.
Judge Larry Wilkey pronounced the driver deceased at 8:25 a.m. The body has been sent to the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences in Dallas for an autopsy to determine the cause of death. No other injuries have been reported.
The Temple Police Department Traffic Unit is investigating the cause of the accident. There is no further information available at this time.
The Temple Police Department has identified the victim as 30-year-old Thomas Needles from Kempner, TX.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Temple Police Department at 254-298-5500 or the Bell County Crime Stoppers at 254-526-8477. Anonymous tips can also be submitted at bellcountycrimestoppers.com.
