Brandon J. Shields, 32, was pronounced dead at the scene after crashing his snowmobile into a tree in Harvard early Wednesday | Photo by Alex Vucha.

Brandon J. Shields, 32, of Harvard, was killed early Wednesday morning after crashing his snowmobile into a tree near Harvard, authorities said.

The Harvard Fire Protection District and the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded at 1:05 a.m. Wednesday to the 4400 block of Pagles Road in Harvard for a snowmobile crash with a victim unresponsive.

Brandon J. Shields, 32, was pronounced dead at the scene after crashing his snowmobile into a tree in Harvard early Wednesday | Photo by Alex Vucha.

Paramedics pronounced Shields dead at the scene at 2:19 a.m., the McHenry County Coroner’s Office said.

Fire officials said that Shields was in a group with two other snowmobilers when he crashed his snowmobile into a tree. The two other snowmobilers did not witness the crash but found him in the field several hundred feet east of Pagles Road.

An autopsy has been scheduled for Thursday on Shields, the coroner’s office said. The crash remains under investigation by Illinois Department of Natural Resources Conservation Police.

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