Witnesses sought in fatal Wittmann crash

Investigators are looking into a fatal rollover accident that left a major roadway backed up for several hours Wednesday morning in the far Northwest Valley.

And they're asking the public if they witnessed what happened.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety is investigating a single-vehicle crash in Wittmann that left 48-year-old Gerald Lee Surplus dead, officials said.

The accident was discovered about 3:36 a.m. Wednesday, when Maricopa County Sheriff's Office deputies reported finding a silver Dodge Mega-cab pickup rolled over on U.S. 60 near milepost 128, said Officer Robert Bailey, a DPS spokesman.

The deputies on scene called the rollover in to DPS, and DPS detectives arrived shortly thereafter to investigate.

A Sheriff's Office official on Wednesday morning said the incident began as a traffic stop that turned into a pursuit when the subject who had been stopped fled from sheriff's deputies. Sheriff's Detective Aaron Douglas, a spokesman, said the pursuit was called off. Several minutes later, deputies found the vehicle rolled over.

Surplus, of Sun City, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Bailey said it appeared Surplus was westbound on U.S. 60 when his pickup veered off of the left side of the roadway into the median, eventually losing control.

The vehicle appeared to have rolled several times through the center median, ending up on the eastbound lanes.

U.S. 60 was closed for nearly nine hours, causing traffic delays and backups in the area.

Anyone who may have witnessed the incident is asked to call the DPS Duty Office at 602-223-2212.