A black Volkswagen Jetta found parked along a road in Burnham has become a key part of the investigation into a deadly hit-and-run that claimed the life of 56-year-old Jeffrey Cookson. Police say the vehicle matched witness descriptions of the car seen speeding away after striking a bicyclist in Pittsfield on Tuesday, November 10.
Cookson, who lived in Burnham, was riding his bicycle along Peltoma Avenue when the fatal collision happened shortly before 4:30 p.m. The driver reportedly left the scene, prompting an investigation by the Pittsfield Police Department and a search involving neighboring law enforcement agencies.
The first reports came in around 4:28 p.m. Dispatchers received information about a bicycle lying in the roadway and a dark-colored sedan traveling south at a high rate of speed. Officers responded to the area just north of the snowmobile club, where they found Cookson dead.
Investigators spoke with several witnesses who described seeing the vehicle shortly before or after the collision. Their accounts pointed to a dark-colored Volkswagen Jetta with one missing headlight and damage to its windshield. The car was reportedly moving south along Peltoma Avenue at a very high rate of speed.
With the description in hand, Pittsfield police alerted other law enforcement agencies and asked them to look out for the suspected vehicle. The search led Waldo County Sheriff’s Office deputies to Horseback Road in Burnham, near Cookson Road.
There, deputies found a black 2003 Volkswagen Jetta parked along the road. Its condition reportedly matched the damage described by witnesses, making it a vehicle of interest in the investigation.
Deputies and Maine State Police troopers seized the car to preserve possible evidence. Investigators are now examining the vehicle as they work to determine its connection to the fatal collision and establish who was driving it.
As of Wednesday, November 11, authorities had not announced an arrest or publicly identified the driver. The fact that the vehicle was found without its driver has left investigators with more questions to answer.
Police believe speed and alcohol may have played a role in the crash. Both factors remain under investigation, and authorities are still working to establish the full circumstances surrounding Cookson’s death.
The case has left a family grieving and a community facing difficult questions about a collision that ended with a man dead and the driver nowhere to be found. For Cookson’s loved ones, no investigation can undo what happened, but finding out exactly how he died and who was responsible remains important.
The Pittsfield Police Department’s investigation remains active, with the seized Volkswagen serving as a major piece of evidence. Authorities have not released further details about the suspected driver or indicated when additional findings may become public.