Report: Some Charges in Union Fatal Dirt Bike Encounter Dropped

Spectrum News reports a Grand Jury has found insufficient evidence to pursue a case against one of two Endicott men accused of contributing to the death of a dirt-bike rider during an altercation on Airport Road in August.

The report indicates 50-year-old Eric VanFossen has had charges against him in connection with the death of 24-year-old Cameron Fortner dismissed.  48-year-old John Hughes of Endicott is charged with manslaughter.

The events leading up to Fortner’s death began in the evening of August 18 when Broome County Sheriff’s Deputies were called to Airport Road for a report of vehicles doing “burn outs” in the road in an on-going situation.

After Deputies ticketed Fortner in connection with that complaint and for allegedly threatening to shoot officers, they say they saw Fortner again smoking tires in a Sport Utility Vehicle and ticketed him for disorderly conduct.

Less than two hours later, Deputies were again called to the location with complaints about people now riding unregistered off-road dirt bikes in the road.  That’s when Hughes allegedly tried to force Fortner, who was now on one of the dirt bikes, off the road by shoving a shovel toward the biker as he passed.  Fortner swerved and crashed into a parked van, suffering fatal injuries.