Jury finds Grand Island man guilty of murder in deadly crash on Main Street

A jury has found a Grand Island man guilty of murder and assault in connection to a deadly crash on Main Street in Buffalo in March 2023.

The Erie County District Attorney's Office announced that a jury found 44-year-old Ronald F. Olson, II of Grand Island guilty of one count of second-degree murder, four counts of first-degree assault and five counts of second-degree assault.

According to the district attorney's office, on March 20, 2023, Olson was trying to sell items of clothing to the occupants of a Jeep at a gas station on Main Street near Winspear Avenue. After the encounter, the driver of the Jeep exited the parking lot and continued to drive onto Main Street. Olson believed they had driven off with clothing and chased after the Jeep. He hit the driver’s side of the Jeep with his truck which caused the Jeep to veer off the roadway and hit a light pole and then a tree near the intersection of Main Street and Benwood Avenue.

The driver of the Jeep, 18-year-old Jarel Buchanan, died at the scene. There were four passengers in the Jeep as well, they suffered various serious physical injuries but survived.

Olson is scheduled to be sentenced on August 20. He remains held without bail. He faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison.

“No one should lose their life over an article of clothing. This defendant’s reckless actions resulted in the death of one young man, caused another young victim be paralyzed and seriously injured three other teenagers. Thankfully, the passengers survived this horrific crash and no one else on the street was injured that morning. I hope that the family and friends of Jarel Buchanan as well as the surviving victims feel that justice has been served by this defendant being convicted of all 10 counts in the indictment."