Ryan O’Shea had already spent a summer interning with the New York City Police Department. After graduation, he hoped to return as an officer. Further down the road, he wanted to work for the Drug Enforcement Administration.
At the University of New Haven, the 21-year-old was building that future while studying criminal justice, playing club hockey and leading his fraternity. On Friday, October 16, 2026, he died in a wrong-way crash while returning from a hockey game.
His death has left his family, teammates and classmates mourning a young man whose life reached across several close communities — from his hometown of Stony Point, New York, to the hockey locker room and classrooms where he was preparing for a career in public service.
“He was my number one cheerleader,” his sister Kiera O’Shea told WTNH News 8.
Ryan’s life at New Haven and the future he was working toward
O’Shea was a senior in New Haven’s Class of 2027, majoring in criminal justice with a concentration in police science. According to the university’s tribute, he had completed an NYPD internship during the previous summer and hoped to begin his policing career after commencement.
His academic adviser, Lorenzo Boyd, the university’s Stewart Professor of Community Policing, remembered a student who enjoyed talking about sports and wanted a job that would allow him to help other people. Boyd also recalled his engagement in the classroom.
Outside his studies, Ryan served as president of the Kappa Sigma Upsilon Omicron Chapter in West Haven. In a statement reported by PEOPLE, the fraternity remembered both his leadership and his ability to make friends laugh.
Hockey had been part of his university life from the beginning. The Charger Bulletin, New Haven’s student newspaper, reported that he joined the men’s club ice hockey team as a freshman, found a connection with the group and continued playing throughout college. By his senior year, he was an assistant captain.
The Elite Prospects hockey database lists O’Shea as a right-shooting defenseman who wore No. 5, stood 6 feet tall and weighed 201 pounds. His recorded regular-season statistics show his involvement across four seasons:
| Season | Games | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–24 | 20 | 1 | 6 | 7 |
| 2024–25 | 24 | 6 | 9 | 15 |
| 2025–26 | 21 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 2026–27 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Statistics are those recorded by Elite Prospects and may not represent a final university statistical release. O’Shea played college club hockey.
For those closest to him, the memories extend well beyond the rink. His sisters, Kiera and Katherine O’Shea, spoke to WTNH about their shock and grief. His girlfriend, Alexis Hartz, remembered how his laughter spread to the people around him and how many lives he had touched.
The family said they planned to create a scholarship in his memory for students who demonstrate leadership. A verified donation page or application process was not established in the reporting reviewed.
What happened on I-91 and what investigators are still examining
The crash happened shortly before midnight on Interstate 91 South near Exit 9 in North Haven, Connecticut. Emergency responders were called at approximately 11:43 p.m., according to local reporting.
Connecticut State Police said O’Shea was driving a Honda Accord southbound when a Chevrolet Silverado traveling north in the southbound lanes struck his car head-on. His Accord was subsequently hit by two other vehicles, making it a four-vehicle collision, NBC Connecticut reported.
Police accounts described the first impact pushing the Accord into the left-center lane, where an SUV struck it. The car then moved toward the right lane and shoulder and was hit by another SUV.
O’Shea was pronounced dead at the scene. Four other people were injured. The pickup driver was taken to Yale New Haven Hospital with serious, life-threatening injuries. The driver and front-seat passenger of one SUV, and the driver of the other SUV, suffered minor injuries.
The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner attributed O’Shea’s death to blunt impact injuries involving his head, neck, torso and extremities, according to the New Haven Register.
Later reports identified the wrong-way driver as Guillermo Carmona-Lopez, of Bridgeport. His reported age differs between outlets, so it has been omitted here. In its October 19 report, WFSB said no charges had been filed and the investigation remained open.
Authorities had not publicly established why the pickup entered the wrong carriageway. The available reporting does not establish alcohol, drugs, speed or deliberate conduct as the cause.
The Connecticut State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Squad is assisting investigators. Anyone who witnessed the collision or has dashcam footage from the area has been asked to contact Trooper Patrick Miko at Troop I in Bethany on 203-393-4200 or at Patrick.Miko@ct.gov.
Back at New Haven, the hockey team canceled its Saturday game, and a campus memorial was being planned. The university made grief counseling available through its Counseling and Psychological Services Office.
The loss follows another difficult week for a college sporting community: Southern Nazarene University also canceled a game after football player Tyler Ulrich died at 21 following an injury during a game.
WFSB reported that O’Shea’s funeral was scheduled for Friday and that New Haven was arranging travel accommodations for students. A service time and venue were not established in the sources reviewed.
For Ryan’s family and friends, the tributes return to the same everyday memories: the conversations, the jokes and the encouragement he gave them. He had been preparing to make helping others his profession. Those who knew him remember how much of that he was already doing.
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