ST. AUGUSTA, Minn. — A Rockville motorcyclist is dead after being thrown from the bike while fleeing from law enforcement in Stearns County.

The St. Cloud Times reports (http://on.sctimes.com/1eu44ob ) officers were pursuing 53-year-old Jeffrey Wiener for a traffic violation at about 9:30 p.m. Thursday when he went off the road at the intersection of Stearns County Road 7.

According to a report from the Minnesota State Patrol, Wiener was thrown from the motorcycle and later pronounced dead. He was not wearing a helmet.

Thursday's death was the latest in a string of deadly motorcycle crashes.

The Department of Public Safety says 25 riders have died on Minnesota roads so far this year — that's 56 percent more than this time last year, when there were 16 motorcycle fatalities.