1. Headline
  1. Headline
Image: Ryan Dunn
Jorge Herrera  /  AP file
Ryan Dunn and a passenger died when his Porsche left a roadway in suburban Philadelphia early Monday.
TODAY news services
updated 6/21/2011 8:07:25 PM ET 2011-06-22T00:07:25

"Jackass" daredevil Ryan Dunn and his passenger died from the impact of the violent car crash and the resulting fire, according to a coroner's report Tuesday.

The Chester County coroner listed blunt force trauma and thermal trauma as the official causes of death for both men. Toxicology results will take four to six weeks to complete, coroner's office spokeswoman Patty Emmons said.

The 34-year-old Dunn and passenger Zachary Hartwell died early Monday, shortly after leaving a pub in West Chester where Dunn had tweeted a photo of the pair and a third man drinking just hours before the crash. The photo has since been taken down.

Barnaby's of America manager Jim O'Brien declined through an employee to speak to The Associated Press. He told The Philadelphia Inquirer that Dunn was drinking with several friends at the bar but didn't appear drunk.

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Scoop: Roger Ebert derided after 'Jackass' tweet

West Goshen Township police declined Tuesday to discuss the ongoing investigation in detail but believe speed may have been a factor in the suburban Philadelphia crash.

A preliminary examination of the crash site suggested that Dunn's Porsche might have been traveling more than 130 mph in the 55 mph zone, according to West Goshen police, when it jumped a guardrail, flew into a wooded ravine, struck a tree and burst into flames.  The police chief told reporters that the speed was determined by an accident reconstruction team after it inspected the scene of the accident.

The 30-year-old Hartwell was credited as a production assistant for the second "Jackass" movie.

Dunn's brother, Eric Dunn, said in an emailed statement to the AP that his family was "devastated."

"We appreciate the support of Ryan's fans during this time, and we are grateful for your thoughts and prayers," he said. "Ryan will be greatly missed, but he will forever remain in our hearts."

Mourners placed flowers and took photos at the accident scene in West Chester, while Facebook and Twitter were buzzing Tuesday with condolences from fans around the world and friends from Hollywood to Chester County.

Image: Ryan Dunn crash scene
Matt Rourke  /  AP
A police car sits near skid marks leading to the scene of the accident that killed Ryan Dunn and Zachary Hartwell Monday, June 20, in West Chester, Pa.

Among those expressing their sorrow online were Good Charlotte guitarist Benji Madden, reality TV star Brody Jenner and Dunn's "Jackass" movie and TV cohorts Bam Margera, Stephen "Steve-O" Glover and Jason "Wee Man" Acuna.

Glover tweeted, "I don't know what to say, except I love Ryan Dunn and I'm really going to miss him." Glover also canceled six upcoming stand-up comedy shows in Sacramento, Calif., and the venue said it was issuing ticketholders refunds.

There was also criticism, most notably after movie critic Roger Ebert posted on Twitter that "friends don't let jackasses drink and drive." Margera erupted in expletives on his own Twitter page. Ebert's Facebook page was flooded with derogatory posts and briefly taken down; Facebook apologized a few hours later and said the page was "removed in error."

Ebert responded Tuesday that he didn't mean to be cruel and was "probably too quick to tweet" after the crash.

The Associated Press and TMZ.com contributed to this report.

Video: ‘Jackass’ star and pal die in fiery crash

  1. Closed captioning of: ‘Jackass’ star and pal die in fiery crash

    >> investigating the cause of a fiery car crash that killed two people including ryan dunn , one of the stars of the ones popular mtv show "jackass." jeff, good morning.

    >> ann , good morning to you. if you've ever seen "jackass" the tv show or the three movies that followed you have seen ryan dunn 's work. she's done everything. he's done stunts and pranks. but this was not that. no stunt no, jokes here. there were no tv cameras rolling. police say instead, ryan dunn was driving back from a bar at about 3:00 in the morning in this small area in pennsylvania, driving down this road at a high rate of speed, police say, when he lost control of the car, swerved off the road, plowed through trees, and landed in the woods. ryan dunn was not a role model and he never claimed to be, turning childish pranks into a money machine. he was part of the core cast on "jackass." first on mtv and three feature films which grossed hundreds of million of dollars. any number of these pranks could have killed him. but it was a simple drive during ryan 's personal time that would end his life. early monday morning he posted this photo online at a bar with friends. that's him on the left. these photos also taken that night. the bar owner says he had a couple of beers. just hours later police say ryan was behind the wheel of his porsche and, according to published reports, may have been driving over 100 miles per hour. his car lost control , smashed the guardrail, and burst into flames.

    >> all the dumb things, this is -- this is horrifying.

    >> reporter: at only 34 years old, ryan dunn was dead, along with a friend in the passenger seat. there was nothing left of the porsche. investigators identified ryan from his tattoos.

    >> he's going to be really missed by everybody.

    >> reporter: featured in a "jackass" movie she says ryan has sped before.

    >> have you yelled at ryan for speeding?

    >> yes, i've yelled at him for lots of things.

    >> he tweeted a picture of himself drinking just hours before the accident. what do you make of that?

    >> he is not a big drinker. he was always responsible.

    >> drinking and driving .

    >> as far as i know, he was, yeah, so i can't imagine that he would do that.

    >> reporter: just this month one of ryan 's final public appearances. on nbc's "minute to win it" claim for a children's charity. monday his cast mates, too upset to speak, instead took to twitter. johnny knoxville wrote, today i lost my brother ryan dunn . my heart goes out to his family. rest in peace, ryan . i love you, buddy. and friends say everyone loved him.

    >> it's a waste. sick because i loved him. sick because he was talented. sick because i can't believe he's gone.

    >> reporter: police are still investigating this accident, ann . unclear at this point if alcohol was involved. they're still looking into that, as well. ryan 's family has flown into town from places like ohio and florida to plan his funeral. too upset to speak, of course, but they release this statement to nbc news. we are devastated by the loss. ryan will be greatly missed, but he will forever remain in our hearts. ann ?

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