MURFREESBORO – Labor Day weekend proved deadly in the Roanoke-Chowan area as a Northampton County man lost his life near here Saturday night.

James Junior Mason II, 22 of Margarettsville, was struck and killed as he rode a bicycle on Storey Road (RP 1166), three-tenths of one mile off Powell Road.

North Carolina State Highway Patrol Trooper Brandon Baker investigated the 10:50 p.m. mishap.

Baker’s report revealed that Mason was riding a bicycle north on Storey Road. Meanwhile, Nelson Mitchell Jr., 19 of Murfreesboro, was operating a 1995 Ford passenger car south on Storey Road. As he was in the process of passing another southbound vehicle, Mitchell’s car struck Mason, who was in the northbound lane.

Mason died at the scene.

Charges are pending against Mitchell.

Due to the amount of vehicular traffic and onlookers in the area, NCHP opted to have the road blocked off in order to complete their investigation.

“We thank the assistance of Chief Darrell Rowe and several of his Murfreesboro Police Department officers as well as Captain Marty Davis and Lt. Will Liverman of the Hertford County Sheriff’s Office for their help,” NCHP Sgt. Todd Lane said. “They blocked off the road and provided crowd control in order for us to work the accident scene and conduct a thorough investigation.”

The fatal accident was the 15th of the year, the fifth in Hertford County, within the NCHP’s Troop A, District II area.