YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — A Canfield man has been indicted in connection with an October 2025 crash that took the life of Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper Nicholas Cayton and injured another motorist, Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson announced today.
Ryan Rach, 36, was taken into custody this morning. A Mahoning County grand jury indicted Rach on charges of:
Aggravated Vehicular Homicide (Third-degree felony)
Vehicular Assault (Fourth-degree felony)
Because the fatal collision resulted in the line-of-duty death of a law enforcement officer, the aggravated vehicular homicide charge carries a mandatory five-year sentence specification if Rach is convicted.
Details of the Fatal Incident
The charges stem from an incident on October 16, 2025, along Route 11 in Canfield, located roughly 10 miles southwest of Youngstown.
Trooper Cayton, 40, had responded to assist a disabled tractor-trailer stopped in the highway’s right lane. The trooper’s marked patrol cruiser was parked behind the semi with its emergency overhead lights activated when a Mack truck, driven by Rach, struck the cruiser from behind. The impact thrust the cruiser directly into the rear of the stationary tractor-trailer.
Trooper Cayton, a 13-year veteran of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the disabled semi sustained serious injuries and was hospitalized, but survived.
Following an extensive investigation by the Highway Patrol, authorities determined that Rach was allegedly distracted and operating his cell phone immediately prior to the crash.
The case is being prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Section in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.
