51-year-old man identified as driver who collided with Deer Park, La Porte pipeline – Houston Public Media

Patricia Ortiz/ Houston Public Media

On Monday, Deer Park officials released the identity of the man who allegedly drove into the Deer Park pipeline last month, sparking a nearly week-long fire.

The driver has been identified as Jonathan McEvoy, 51, of Deer Park. Investigators said McEvoy was driving a 2022 Lexus NX350, which collided with the pipeline after driving through a corrugated metal fence. The vehicle was ultimately engulfed in flames and McEvoy’s body was not retrieved until several days into the fire, once the flames had died down.

Investigators said they used a technique known as radiography comparison to identify McEvoy. McEvoy’s former wife told ABC13 that she believed he was experiencing a seizure before running off the road.

The pipeline fire began on Sept. 16 at around 10 a.m., according to the City of Deer Park Emergency Management Office. During the fire, homes and businesses near the blaze were evacuated for nearly four days and several houses sustained damage. The fire ended on Sept. 19 and residents have since been allowed to return.

Four people, including a firefighter, were injured as a result of the fire but no other deaths have been reported at this time. A criminal investigation is ongoing into the incident, terrorism was eliminated early on as a possible motive. Authorities have not yet released McEvoy’s official cause of death.

Despite the pipeline owner — Energy Transfer — shutting off the line, its isolated contents continued to burn for several days, releasing possibly dangerous chemicals into the air.

According to an initial report submitted to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality by Energy Transfer, hundreds of thousands of pounds of chemicals such as nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide were found in the air during the first few days of the fire.

Although these chemicals can pose a potential human health risk, this initial report was only preliminary and a full report of the fire’s possible pollutants has not yet been released.