Investigators say wrong man initially charged in fatal East Washington Ave. crash

Tabatha Wethal by Tabatha Wethal







Investigators say the wrong man was initially charged in an east Madison crash that killed a 71-year-old and injured another person last month.

Madison police said Thursday that charges against 32-year-old Antoine K. Tempel have been dropped, and another man in the vehicle that collided with an SUV on East Washington Avenue in the early morning hours of Aug. 8 was driving impaired that night.

Jason A. Natcone, 44, of Oregon, is facing tentative charges of homicide by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle and hit-and-run involving death, police said. Charges have been referred to the district attorney.

Police said Tempel denied being the driver the night of the crash and the person they initially thought was the passenger, Natcone, fled the scene. Madison police spokesman Joel DeSpain said further investigation concluded the man originally thought to be the driver of the BMW was a passenger in the car.

Frederick A. Majer, 71, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Dane County medical examiner. His wife suffered minor injuries in the crash. Police said Majer was driving a Chevrolet HHR in the middle lane when it was rear-ended by a BMW convertible driven by Natcone.

Witnesses at the scene the night of the crash estimated that the BMW was traveling somewhere between 80 mph and 100 mph at the time of the crash.

Police said Thursday that Natcone is in the Dane County Jail on a Wisconsin Department of Corrections-ordered hold.

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