EXCLUSIVE: Driver Killed in Car Crash Involving Chris Soules Remembered as a Great Family Man

A local resident of Aurora, Iowa, tells ET the mood in the small populated town has been 'pretty somber' following the incident.

A local resident of Aurora, Iowa, who knew both Chris Soules and victim Kenneth Mosher, is speaking out about the tragic fatal car crash that occurred in their town on Monday night.

The former Bachelor star was taken into police custody after he fled the scene of a car collision that resulted in Mosher's death. According to the local resident, who did not wish to be identified, Soules and Mosher "knew each other," but "didn't run in the same social circle."


WATCH: Former 'Bachelor' Star Chris Soules Arrested After Fatal Car Crash

"Their families have been farming in this area for several generations. Both families have always lived around here," the source told ET on Tuesday. "Kenny's 66 [years old], Chris is the age of [Kenny's] kids. They were farm neighbors [their farming land adjoined]. Not door-to-door neighbors."

Since news broke, the small town, which has an estimated population of 171 as of 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau, has been shaken up by the accident.

"We're doing OK. It's a difficult situation here. Very difficult," the source shared. "The mood here is pretty somber. This doesn't happen every day. It's a rare occurrence. It's a very tragic loss."

According to a spokesperson for the Buchanan County Sheriff's Office, the incident occurred around 8:20 p.m. The Iowa State Patrol crash report claims that Soules was driving a Chevy pickup truck when he allegedly rear-ended a John Deere tractor trailer. Mosher, who was driving the tractor trailer, was taken in an ambulance to the hospital, where he died. Soules was later arrested at his residence at 1:16 a.m. on Tuesday and spent the night in jail.

The resident tells ET that it wasn't unusual for Mosher to be out on a tractor that late at night, as it's corn-planting season right now.

"They're out there planting corn. He had a patch of land north of town," the resident explained. "[Kenny] farmed till dark. That’s a regular farm road. It’s not unusual for farmers to be out on the road at eight o’clock as it starts getting dark. That’s when [the farmers] go home. They work all day."

"He loved farming. He was a wonderful grandpa. Great guy," the resident added of Mosher's passion and character.


WATCH: Chris Soules Released From Jail, Rep Says 'Bachelor' Star Is 'Devastated' Following Fatal Car Crash

Soules -- who is from Arlington, Iowa -- was released from jail Tuesday afternoon on $10,000 bail, which was posted by his mother, Linda. He is now required to check in with a probation officer regarding his ankle bracelet monitor, and was asked to turn in his passport. The reality star, who also appeared on Dancing With the Stars, was scheduled to film something out of the country that was Bachelor related.

Hear more on the incident (and Soules' prior run-ins with the law in Iowa) in the video below.


-Reporting by Brendon Geoffrion

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