A 20-year-old man was killed in Biddeford early Sunday and the driver of the car he was riding in has been charged in an incident that began on the campus of the University of New England on Saturday night.

Biddeford police said passenger Anthony Ciccone, 20, of Pepperell, Mass., was wearing a seat belt when the 2003 Ford Explorer driven by Christopher M. Bennett, 20, of Johnston, R.I., crashed into a utility pole on Pool Street at the Westbrook Skating Rink.

Bennett was charged with manslaughter and operating under the influence, both Class B felonies.

Biddeford Deputy Police Chief JoAnne Fisk said the two had been the subject of complaints by University of New England security staff, who requested help from her department at 12:39 a.m. Sunday in dealing with two intoxicated men trying to enter a dorm room.

Fisk said the two were not students but were visiting friends on the university campus.

Fisk said the security staff tried to stop the two intoxicated men from driving but were unsuccessful. The two left the campus in a Ford Explorer with Rhode Island license plates heading west toward Biddeford center.

A vehicle matching the Ford Explorer’s description sped by the Biddeford officer who was en route east on Pool Street toward UNE. A second officer en route tracked the vehicle’s speed on radar at 80 mph in a 30-mph speed zone, police said.

That officer tried to turn and stop the vehicle but lost sight of it almost immediately, Fisk said. At 12:43 a.m., a third Biddeford officer en route reported the vehicle crashed into the utility pole as it was entering the downtown area.

Ciccone was taken to Southern Maine Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Bennett was taken to Maine Medical Center, where he was treated and released.

Bennett was interviewed by Biddeford police Sunday morning. He was taken to York County Jail later Sunday, said Fisk.

Bail was set at $150,000.

Biddeford police are continuing to investigate the incident.

University of New England officials did not immediately return phone calls or respond to email requests for more information about the incident.

 

Staff Writer Beth Quimby can be contacted at 791-6363 or at:

bquimby@pressherald.com