North Kingstown Airman Dies in Christmas Eve Crash

NORTH KINGSTOWN, RI—Extreme tragedy has befallen a local family.

22-year-old Joshua Zalabowski, of North Kingstown, died early in the morning on Christmas Eve after a single-car crash on Dry Bridge Road, according to North Kingstown Police.

Sgt. John Urban Jr. said that police responded to the area of 376 Dry Bridge Road at around 5:50 a.m. for a report of an accident and found Zalabowski’s car on its roof in the roadway.

Zalabowski was the lone occupant and pronounced dead at the scene.

The initial investigation determined that Zalabowski was driving north when his vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree. Conditions were wet and foggy at the time of the crash, police said, and it does not appear any other vehicle was involved in the accident.

The incident remains under investigation and Urban said a “thorough investigation” is being conducted by the department’s Accident Reconstruction Unit.

Zalabowski was home on leave from the Air Force and was an Airman First Class. He was graduated from North Kingstown High School in 2011.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Thursday. For a complete obituary, click HERE.