Who is Ren Hatt? Green River mayor who died in collision with a semi-truck; all you need to know about him and the fatal crash

An accident that occurred on US Route 6 turned fatal after it claimed the life of Ren Hatt, mayor of Green River, Utah. He was killed in a collision with a semi-truck on December 5, 2025 (Friday); the city confirmed in a social media post on Saturday, December 6, 2025.

The Utah community mourned deeply, grieving the sudden and tragic loss of their mayor. Providing details about the crash, officials with the Utah Highway Patrol (UHP) said in a release that it occurred around 9:40 p.m. local time, according to PEOPLE.

UHP details fatal crash

The fatal accident occurred after a 2021 Freightliner semi-truck, which was traveling westbound on the highway, drifted into the eastbound lanes "for an unknown reason" and struck the front passenger side of a 2020 Hyundai Palisade.

"The Freightliner then veered back to the right side of the westbound lanes. The Hyundai was forced to the right, coming to rest on the right side of the eastbound lanes," the UHP said.

City officials later identified the driver of the Hyundai as Hatt, who lost his life in the accident. The driver of the Freightliner was unharmed.

Probe on

The UHP said that an investigation into the crash is ongoing and that "impairment is not suspected," as reported by PEOPLE.

Green River pays tribute to Ren Hatt

In a Facebook post shared on Saturday (December 6, 2025), the city of Green River paid tribute to Hatt, writing, "Our community is heartbroken today." The city remembered the late mayor as someone who "loved this community deeply" and "served it with honesty, kindness, and unwavering commitment."

"We are grieving alongside his family, friends, and all who knew him," the city said. "We will share more information when it becomes appropriate." "For now, we ask everyone to hold his family in their thoughts during this difficult time," the post concluded. Hatt's fiancée, Maria Sykes, also shared the news of his death on Facebook.



"Friends, I have to share terrible news. The love of my life, my fiancé and best friend, Ren Hatt, was killed in a car crash last night," she wrote. "At this time I ask for prayers for our families, for me, and for the many, many people who loved him in his far too few 40 years on this earth."

Ren Hatt: What do we know about him?

Growing up in rural Green River, Hatt developed an interest in baseball and played as an all-state center fielder for Green River High School as a teenager. The Salt Lake Tribune reported that Hatt had recently won reelection for a second mayoral term, according to. He grew up in rural Green River and, as a teenager, was on a baseball team.

In a display of an early interest in elected office, he served as the school's student body president, per the Tribune.

He graduated from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 2014 and later worked as a policy specialist for Tennessee’s Medicaid office in Nashville, PEOPLE reported. Later, he returned to his hometown to help run his family's business, Hatt Ranch, which provides pheasant hunting experiences.

Hatt also worked at a local nonprofit and taught various subjects at Green River High School. In 2021, he launched his first campaign for mayor.