Groton ― A 21-year-old Groton man died early Friday after crashing his motorcycle into a parked SUV on Fort Hill Road, town police said.

Elijah W. Hummel suffered fatal injuries in a 12:45 a.m. crash in the area of 33 Fort Hill Road, between Depot Road and South Road, police said.

Police said a Groton Town police officer on patrol spotted the motorcycle with some smoke coming from it, looked around and found the operator nearby on the ground. Hummel was taken to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital and later pronounced dead.

Police said their initial investigation shows Hummel was driving a 2024 Kawasaki ZX-400 westbound on Fort Hill Road at a high speed. He then lost control of his motorcycle and traveled across the eastbound lane of Fort Hill Road and struck an unoccupied Jeep Cherokee, which was parked in front of Midway Pizza at 33 Fort Hill Road.

Members of the Southeastern Connecticut Regional Traffic Unit are assisting police with their investigation of the crash.

Police ask anyone who witnessed the crash or has other information that would assist officers with the case to call them at (860) 441-6712.

Editor’s note: This version clarifies how police discovered the crash.