WASHINGTON, D.C. — A 16-year-old boy was killed Saturday night in a high-speed crash involving a stolen vehicle on southbound Interstate 295, prompting multiple arrests and an ongoing investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department.
The collision occurred around 9:06 p.m. on July 12, just before the Howard Road/Suitland Parkway exit. Officers from the Seventh District responded to the scene and found a juvenile male passenger unconscious and not breathing in the rear seat of the wrecked vehicle.
DC Fire and EMS attempted lifesaving measures, but the victim—identified as 16-year-old Rick Kearney of Southeast, D.C.—was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to police, a 17-year-old male was behind the wheel of a 2017 Hyundai Sonata that had been reported stolen from Prince George’s County earlier that evening. Kearney was in the back seat, and a 20-year-old man occupied the front passenger seat.
The vehicle was reportedly speeding in the left lane when the driver attempted to cross several lanes of traffic. The car struck an unknown vehicle, lost control, and slammed into a guardrail.
Both the driver and the front passenger fled the crash on foot. Metro Transit Police and the U.S. Park Police stopped them shortly after.
The 17-year-old driver, of Southeast D.C., was arrested and charged with Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle and Leaving After Colliding. The adult passenger, identified as 20-year-old Joseph Wade of Northeast D.C., was also charged with Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle.
Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact MPD at (202) 727-9099 or submit anonymous tips via the department’s text line at 50411.
