25-Year-Old Man Dies After Crashing Into Dump Truck

A 25-year-old man was killed after his vehicle crashed into a dump truck and caught on fire in New Hampshire this week, police said.

The victim, identified as Alexander Smith from Auburn, was killed in the early morning hours on Wednesday, Sept. 24, New Hampshire State Police said in a statement.

State troopers responded around 6 a.m. local time after receiving an automatic crash notification from a cellphone on Route 101 in Candia.

“Shortly after, State Police dispatch started receiving 911 calls from passing drivers confirming that a crash had occurred involving an SUV and a dump truck,” police said. “These calls further indicated that the SUV was on fire and its driver was entrapped.”

When troopers arrived at the scene of the crash, they found several good Samaritans had already removed the “severely injured” driver from his burning 2019 Nissan Rogue SUV.

Officials determined he’d been the only occupant inside the SUV. The dump truck had been parked on the shoulder of the road due to a mechanical issue and was unoccupied when the collision occurred, police said.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“Troopers, along with good Samaritans, rendered aid to the injured driver until emergency medical services arrived. Arriving fire personnel eventually extinguished the vehicle fire,” police said.

Officials’ preliminary investigation found that the 2001 Mack dump truck had been disabled and parked when Smith’s vehicle collided with its rear, causing his SUV to catch fire. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A spokesperson for the New Hampshire Department of Safety confirms to PEOPLE an investigation into the crash is ongoing.