Jason Wentz

EMMET COUNTY, MI - 29-year-old Jason Wentz lost control of his 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix on Paradise Trail in Carp Lake Township. He rolled his car into an unoccupied seasonal home. The car and home then caught on fire. Firefighters found Wentz's body near the burning car inside the house. Wentz's 22-year-old girlfriend was inside the car when it crashed. She was able to escape the vehicle with non-life threatening injuries. She was transported to McLaren Hospital in Petoskey. The fire that started in the seasonal home spread to an antique store that was located next door. No one was inside the seasonal home, or neighboring antique store at the time. Both structures are a total loss. Wentz's girlfriend told the fire chief her boyfriend swerved to miss a deer, and lost control of the car. Authorities are continuing to investigate the cause of the accident. It is unknown at this time if alcohol, drugs or speed were factors to the crash.