Police allege CFL player Jayden Dalke was driving on the wrong side of the highway when his vehicle crashed into another in Saskatchewan Saturday, killing both drivers.
And Mounties say it happened roughly 30 minutes after the SUV driven by the Saskatchewan Roughriders linebacker reportedly left a Lumsden, Sask., gas station with unpaid fuel.
“We received a report around 8:27 p.m. from a business in Lumsden of a silver SUV leaving without paying for fuel,” RCMP spokesperson Mandy Maier told reporters Monday.
“The investigation has determined this was the same silver SUV that was involved in the collision.”
Mounties also allege they found alcohol and cannabis in Dalke’s vehicle. There were no reports of his SUV driving erratically.
READ: Alberta-born Saskatchewan Roughriders team captain Jayden Dalke killed in car accident
Lumsden RCMP say Dalke was driving north in the southbound lane of Highway 11, between Lumsden and Regina, when the collision occurred around 9 p.m.
The driver of the second vehicle has been identified as 22-year-old Bhishma Rajyaguru of Regina. Neither driver had any passengers in their vehicles.
“Autopsies and toxicology will be conducted as part of the ongoing investigation,” RCMP said in a news release.
Rajyaguru came to Canada from the Indian state of Gujarat as an international student in 2022, said friend Tonish Patel.
He added that Rajyaguru was also a talented musician and enjoyed watching cricket.
“His friends used to play, and he always came on the ground to support us,” Patel said. “(He was) a really nice person, really polite. He was thankful, helpful to everyone.”
Patel said Rajyaguru’s parents are in India and that friends in Regina are raising money to send his body home. Rajyaguru also died on his father’s birthday, Patel said.
The Gujarati Samaj of Saskatchewan, a charity group for Gujarati immigrants, said in a social media post that the community is saddened by Rajyaguru’s death.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones during this difficult time,” the post said. “May God grant his soul eternal peace and give his family strength and courage to endure this profound loss.”
Crews arrived at the scene of the crash to find one vehicle in the median of the divided highway and the other vehicle in a ditch. Officials say civilians tried to revive one of the men.
The Lumsden Fire Department says fire crews took over, performed life-saving efforts but were not successful and the man died. The other driver, trapped in his car in the median, was declared dead at the scene.
On Monday, the Roughriders held a news conference to remember Dalke.
The 30-year-old linebacker from Leduc, Alta., was a sixth-round pick in the 2022 CFL draft out of the University of Alberta. He appeared in 68 career regular-season games, registering 69 tackles, 31 special-teams tackles, three forced fumbles, an interception and a sack.
Dalke appeared in all 18 regular-season games for Saskatchewan in 2025 as well as the West final and the club’s 25-17 Grey Cup win over the Montreal Alouettes.
“Jayden was a loved teammate,” Roughriders general manager Jeremy O’Day said Monday. “You never left the conversation with Jayden where you didn’t feel happy.
“He loved what he was doing, loved the game of football, loved his teammates.”
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