By Tiffany Williams –
A violent crash on a dark Stamford, Connecticut road set off a chain of events that investigators say ended with serious injuries, a sweeping forensic review, and now felony charges.
Connecticut State Police were assigned to investigate a serious injury motor vehicle accident that happened in the early morning hours of October 12, 2025, on Long Ridge Road in Stamford.
Just after 4:30 a.m., police, fire, and EMS responded to a 9-1-1 call reporting a crash involving a Volkswagen Touareg and a Nissan Rogue. When first responders arrived, the Nissan’s operator, Steevens Juste, was found unconscious and trapped in the vehicle, suffering multiple injuries, including a hematoma and a neck injury.
What happened in the moments leading up to that crash quickly became the focus of a detailed investigation.
A witness told police the Volkswagen exited a parking lot and made a left turn onto Long Ridge Road when the Nissan “was in front and then boom, I just see his car basically explode into like a million pieces.”
Inside the Volkswagen, police identified the driver as Volodymyr Molchanov. Investigators say evidence at the scene and statements gathered afterward began to raise serious questions about speed, impairment, and decision-making behind the wheel.
At Stamford Hospital, officers conducted a field sobriety test. Investigators reported that Molchanov showed signs of impairment, including issues with eye movement and balance.
In interviews, Molchanov acknowledged drinking before the crash. When asked about his speed, he stated he was “traveling pretty normally” before encountering the other vehicle.
But investigators didn’t rely on statements alone.
A forensic download of crash data revealed the Volkswagen’s speed in the seconds before impact. Five seconds before the collision, the vehicle was traveling 67 miles per hour. Three seconds before impact, that speed climbed to 70 miles per hour. Two seconds before impact, it reached 73 miles per hour — all in a posted 45 mile-per-hour zone.
Investigators determined the vehicle was traveling significantly above the speed limit in the moments leading up to the crash and concluded that speed was a contributing factor in the collision.
The case expanded beyond the crash itself, with authorities obtaining additional evidence, including medical records and digital data tied to the investigation.
By April 13, 2026, Molchanov turned himself in on an active arrest warrant.
He is charged with assault in the second degree, reckless driving, and illegal tinted windows.
Bond was set at $50,000.
Investigators say the victim survived but suffered serious injuries and faced a long recovery after multiple surgeries.
What started as a single early-morning crash is now a case built on witness accounts, medical findings, and hard data pulled from the vehicle itself — a combination investigators say paints a clear picture of what happened on that road.