Man, 31, dead after 2-vehicle crash in St. Catharines

A 31-year-old man has died following a collision involving a stolen vehicle at Welland Avenue and Ontario Street in St. Catharines, Niagara police say.

Around 10:20 p.m. on Wednesday, first responders attended a collision between two vehicles, Niagara Regional Police Service said in a news release. 

Police said a black Audi that had been stolen about half an hour before collided with a grey Chevrolet.

The driver of the Chevrolet, who is from St. Catharines, was pronounced dead in hospital. The driver of the Audi fled on foot. Police searched but had not found them as of a Thursday afternoon.

Police say Audi driver stole car from plaza 30 minutes before crash

When police initially reported the crash on Thursday morning, they did not include the alleged theft. They shared that information in the day.

At about 9:40 p.m. on Wednesday, police said, the Audi was parked in a commercial plaza near Scott and Niagara streets. The keys were in the ignition and there was a passenger in the car. The alleged thief got in and threatened the passenger, who got out. Then the thief took off at "a high rate of speed."

Niagara police are continuing to investigate and asking witnesses and people with dashcam or surveillance footage to share relevant information.

They also released an image of the suspect, who police say likely hurt their head during the collision.