EP Police Search for Missing Passenger After Car Wreck

East Providence Police were dispatched to 4 Newman Ave. Saturday at 2 a.m. for a single car crash, arresting the driver and searching Lakeside Cemetery for a passenger.

When officers arrived at the address, they found two men standing to the side of a demolished vehicle in the middle of the road. The car had heavy damage to the front, the entire side and rear quarter, according to a police report 

As police approached, one of the men, later identified as Christopher Ruiz, 21, of 129 Bloodgood St., Pawtucket, walked toward them holding his wrists together as if he were handcuffed, telling them he was guilty, according to the report. When asked what he was guilty of, Ruiz said he'd been driving without a license.

A witness told police that shortly after the accident there were three men in the car, and that two helped the third out, after which they talked about how to report the crash to police. Later, one of them ran into the nearby Lakeside Cemetery, the witness said. He said he recognized one of the men, who wasn't present. 

A rescue arrived and transported Ruiz's passenger to the hospital for an evaluation. Police and rescue personnel stayed at the scene and used an infrared camera to search the cemetery for the missing man, but didn't find him.

Police arrested Ruiz, charging him with driving after denial of his license.