The man who died in fiery crash a week ago in Somerville had recently become a U.S. citizen and had just voted in his first election.

The state medical examiner confirmed that Nikhil Andrew Rodrigues, 27, of Somerville, was the victim in the one-car crash just before midnight last Thursday. Mark Belserene, office administrator, said identification through DNA was made Wednesday afternoon.

“He was a nice young man, very smart, very clever,” said Somerville First Selectman Susan Greer.

Rodrigues was born in India and Greer said the June election was his first vote as a U.S. citizen.

Greer is a friend of his mother, Maryrose Rodrigues, who teaches in the alternative education program of Regional School Unit 12, which includes Somerville.

Greer said Nikhil Rodrigues had also spent a few days helping to set up networks and transfer files to new computers in the Somerville Town Office.

“It started out as volunteer, and when we found out it was going to be much more than we thought it would be, we paid him,” Greer said. “The women in the office asked when he was done if he would come back in and visit.”

Greer said Rodrigues was heading to a friend’s house when the crash occurred on Somerville Road. The car went off the road and struck a large tree, and emergency responders found it in flames, according to a press release from the Lincoln County Sheriff’ Office. Police have not said why the car went off the road.

His family moved to Somerville seven years ago, she said. At that time, Nikhil Rodrigues was in school in Boston — he graduated from Northeastern University, where he majored in economics, with honors– and spent vacations in Maine.

He did several internships, Greer said, and worked on an energy project for the state of Maine.

He graduated with honors in January from a master’s program at Dundee University in Scotland, and then moved to Somerville.

A memorial service is set for 6 p.m. Friday at St. Giles’ Episcopal Church in Jefferson.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com