A man was killed early Friday morning after crashing into a tree on Tytus Avenue.

Police said the victim, identified as 36-year-old Robert Richardson of Middletown, was transported to Atrium Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead.

Before medics arrived on scene around 2:40 a.m., Douglas Nutter said he tried to save the man from inside the vehicle.

“I realized I couldn’t get him out, so I had to push the window frame down,” Nutter said. “I had to cradle him in one arm and when I pushed the window down, I untangled his arm at the same time.”

Paramedics found the man unresponsive at the scene and tried to perform CPR, police said.

Richardson was driving his vehicle west on Tytus near the intersection of Ohio Avenue, when he drove off the left side of the road and slammed into a tree line, police said. After smashing into the tree a small fire ignited in the front of the 2000 Mitsubishi, but firefighters extinguished the flames.

Speed may have played a factor in the crash, according to reports. Police said the man may have been trying to make a left turn onto Ohio Avenue. Nutter said he saw the driver speeding right before the crash.

“I looked up and I seen this guy go by, he had to be going at least 85 to 90 miles per hour,” Nutter said. “I knew immediately he was going to wreck.”

Other witnesses told police the man had been at a nearby bar earlier, according to officers. The driver also was under numerous driver’s license suspensions, police said.

Richardson has appeared in Middletown Municipal Court more than 40 times since 1994 on various charges, including petty theft, receiving stolen property, forgery, domestic violence, drug and drug paraphernalia possession, and assault. He also had a number of traffic violations, including drunken driving, no operator’s license and driving under suspension.