HERNANDO, Miss — Hernando Police have identified a man now charged after a police chase from Crittenden County ended in Desoto County with a fiery crash on I-55 Wednesday, killing a semi-truck driver.
Matthew George Nemacheck, 37, of Palmyra, Wisconsin, is charged with culpable negligent manslaughter. Hernando PD said he was released from Regional One Hospital, and is currently in the DeSoto County Jail on a bond of $350,000.
Hernando Police identified the driver of the commercial vehicle that was killed as Milan Alilovic, 40, of New York.
Marion, Arkansas, Police said the chase started Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, when they got a call the man was following a woman on the highway. When officers approached, they said they saw the truck ram the victim's car, causing significant damage. They then chased the truck into Mississippi.
Hernando Police said just before 12:30 p.m., they were notified of the blue Dodge Ram refusing to stop for Crittenden County, Arkansas, authorities headed southbound on I-55 near Church Rd. As they responded, they said they learned the Ram had crossed the median and hit a semi-truck. The driver, Alilovic, died on the scene. Nemacheck was taken to the hospital.
The crash led to a massive vehicle fire which had both northbound and southbound lanes of I-55 in North Mississippi shut down for hours as first responders worked to get the blaze under control. Mississippi Department of Transportation cameras showed the fire in the northbound lanes of I-55.
In a statement, Hernando Police said, "This is an ongoing investigation and this agency will not answer questions in regards to the events that led up to this motor vehicle crash or pending charges out of another jurisdiction. The Hernando Police Department would like to thank the law enforcement officers from the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Dept. and the Mississippi Hwy Patrol for their assistance in this incident as well as the investigation to follow."
