Crime & Public Safety

Body found after fire under DeKalb bridge caused I-85 crashes, police say

The crashes happened on I-85 North near the Northcrest Road bridge and the underpass fire occurred off the road nearby, police said.
The crashes happened on I-85 North near the Northcrest Road bridge and the underpass fire occurred off the road nearby, police said.
Updated Nov 20, 2024

A body was discovered Tuesday evening after a fire under a DeKalb County bridge led to several collisions on I-85 North, police said.

Officers were called to the northbound lanes near the Northcrest Road bridge, just outside I-285, around 9:30 p.m. to respond to multiple crashes. Authorities said none of the wrecks resulted in major injuries.

The investigation revealed that the collisions “appear to have been caused by a fire that was started under the bridge,” police said.

The DeKalb fire department arrived at the scene to extinguish the blaze and located a body in the process, according to law enforcement. On Wednesday morning, officials were still working to confirm the person’s identity, according to an investigator with the DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Parts of I-85 North near the Northcrest Road and Pleasantdale Road bridges were closed late into the night.

— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.

About the Author

Caroline Silva is a Breaking News reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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