A 37-year-old man is facing charges after authorities say he threw boulders at passing vehicles along a stretch of U.S. Route 6 in Utah County, according to a report published October 19. The incident occurred Saturday around 7:38 p.m. between mile markers 208 and 209 on Route 6 heading toward Price.
According to FOX 13 Salt Lake City, dispatch received reports from at least four callers describing a male jumping in front of cars and hurling rocks. One caller reported a male dressed in dark clothing threw a boulder at their vehicle while traveling up the canyon toward Price. Callers told police the man damaged multiple vehicles, including windshields.
Police deployed drones to help locate the suspect along the highway corridor. Officers eventually noticed a person walking on the highway shoulder who matched the description provided by callers. As officers approached, the man reportedly shouted something about someone being after him, according to a police report cited by FOX 13. Officers ordered the man to surrender at gunpoint before taking him into custody. The suspect was identified as Nicholas Sean-Leo Proulx, a 37-year-old Salt Lake City man.
The corridor where the incident occurred has a history of fatal accidents. According to Utah Highway Patrol data reported by KSL.com, more than 20 people have died in traffic crashes along a 42-mile stretch of U.S. Route 6 starting at the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon since 2020. A Utah Department of Transportation concrete median barrier project between Diamond Fork Road and the U.S. 89 junction is intended to prevent crossover crashes and was expected to last until the end of the year.
Questions remain regarding the Utah County case, including the final formal charges to be filed by the Utah County Attorney's Office and the full extent of damage and any injuries reported by the four callers. It is also unknown whether Proulx's reported statements to officers will prompt a mental health or competency review.
