NEW HAVEN, Conn — An off-duty New Haven firefighter is dead after he was struck and killed by another car on Interstate 91 late Wednesday night.
The fatal crash happened just before 9:30 p.m. in the northbound lane of I-91, just south of exit 8 in New Haven.
State police said a car driven by 27-year-old Thomas Mieles was involved in a separate, one-car crash and was disabled in the left lane of I-91 north.
Two other motorists pulled over and stopped directly ahead of Mieles to help him.
Two more vehicles, one driving in the left lane and another in the left center lane, approached the stopped vehicles.
According to state police, the car in the left lane struck Mieles's car, pushing it into the stopped vehicle in front of it.
The car driving then sideswiped the vehicle in the left center lane. The sideswiped vehicle then drove into the left lane, hitting Mieles.
Mieles was rushed to Yale New Haven Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
The drivers of the two other cars pulled over, and the vehicle that initially crashed into Mieles car suffered only minor injuries. A New Haven woman who was at the scene standing next to Mieles was also struck, but police said she had minor injuries. She was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Mieles was remembered by the department Thursday morning. Mayor Justin Elicker said he, Fire Chief John Alston, union President Patrick Cannon, and department members were at the hospital late Wednesday night for the family.
"We're all family here in the city of New Haven," said Elicker. "But to see firefighter Mieles' family there, experiences at the hospital last night was just devastating."
Growing up in New Haven, Mieles attended Wilbur Cross High School and lived in the neighborhood which he helped protect once hired by the fire department this year.
Alston said he was one of the ones who responded to the crash scene.
"Never in our wildest dreams did we realize that the person being rescued and resuscitated was one of our own," Alston said. "It's been a very difficult time for our department."
Alston described Mieles' energy while working with the department and how much he enjoyed the job.
"One of the most exciting things he had was the work in this house with the people that are here with me," said Alston. "Growing up in this neighborhood and being able to protect his own neighborhood – I understand how proud he probably was."
"He proposed to me as soon as I graduated high school and I told him we had to wait until we got our lives together because we were kids," said Brianna Agosto, Mieles' fiancée.
She's now 25 and Mieles was 27. Their most recent focus was his longtime goal of becoming a New Haven firefighter.
Another member of New Haven Fire Department class number 63 remembered Mieles.
"We've been working at this since before the pandemic and then the pandemic hit and then he kind of lost faith and I told him to not stop," Agosto noted.
"He loved his job," said Ibrahim Cheek, a fellow firefighter. "Really good-hearted person. He talked a lot."
The department has faced tragedies in previous years.
"We've lost a member of the department in every subsequent class since class 61," said Alston.
Those losses include firefighter William McMillian, of class 61, who died unexpectedly in 2021. A week after McMillian's passing, firefighter Ricardo Torres was killed while battling a fire at a New Haven home. He was part of class 62.
Cannon asked for thoughts and prayers for Mieles' family and fiance.
"We stand here with our hearts full of sorrow," said Cannon. "We lost another brother – a young, energetic, full-of-life firefighter – happy to be here, happy to do the job. Happy to be part of this family. And that's what we are, is a family."
Anyone who may have witnessed the crash or has information is asked to contact Trooper Troczynski, Troop I, at 203-393-4200. Additionally, state police are asking to get in contact if you have a vehicle equipped with a dashcam and happen to have been driving through the area at the time.
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Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
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