Two crashes along Interstate 78 Friday morning involving stolen vehicles, one of which was fatal, are believed to be related according to state police.

The second crash, involving a minivan reported stolen from Lehigh County, resulted in the death of a Schuylkill County man.

The first crash occurred around 5:50 a.m. on Interstate 78 westbound between the exits for Route 61 and Shartlesville. A 2003 Ford Focus struck median barrier head-on while traveling at a high rate of speed.

When emergency crews arrived at the scene, they observed two males moving items from the vehicle into a silver minivan, which then took off westbound at a high rate of speed. The vehicle was left abandoned.

About 30 minutes after the initial crash, a minivan matching the description was involved in another crash on the westbound Interstate 78 off-ramp for Route 183.

The minivan, a 2014 Toyota Sienna, failed to negotiate the turn onto Route 183 north and struck a southbound vehicle head-on.

The driver of the southbound vehicle, identified as Keith Allen Krammes, 56, of Schuylkill Haven, was airlifted to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, where he was pronounced dead from his injuries.

The driver of the minivan, Carlos Rosario, 33, of Allentown, was transported to Reading Hospital for treatment, and a passenger in the vehicle, Vincent Bynum, 32, was detained by state police.

The minivan, which was registered in Nashua, N.H., was reported stolen from a Comfort Inn in Upper Macungie Township sometime overnight on Thursday.

Rosario and Bynum were both charged with receiving stolen property and conspiracy to receive stolen property. Troopers said Bynum is currently incarcerated in Berks County and Rosario is being supervised by Sheriff’s Deputies at Reading Hospital.