State troopers pursued a stolen utility truck the wrong way on a Tulsa highway until the eluder rounded a curve in the glare of sunrise, barreling into and instantly killing an oncoming innocent person driving to work.
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Throughout these stories, leading contemporary policing experts characterize the vast majority of these chases as unnecessary or not worth the risk.
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Melissa Bruckman’s husband, William Bruckman, was killed during a pursuit on U.S. 75 when he was hit head-on by a stolen ONG truck that was pursued by several law enforcement agencies including the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
MIKE SIMONS, Tulsa World archive
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In a state ranked 8th highest for pursuit-related deaths, traffic infractions or property crimes prompted the vast majority of chases — reasons not worth deaths or even pursuits, experts say.
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William Bruckman, 23, died when a stolen utility truck driven by Jerry Lee Newman plowed head on into his sedan as Bruckman commuted to work on U.S. 75 in Tulsa on May 24, 2017. Newman was fleeing law enforcement, bringing the pursuit into the wrong direction of traffic on the highway.
Mike Simons, Tulsa World Archive
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Corey Jones of Tulsa is a member of Lee Enterprises’ Public Service Journalism Team. corey.jones@lee.net
In this Series
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Jul 7, 2025
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