Police say stolen car packed with youths hit vehicle in Germantown, killing driver

A stolen vehicle occupied by seven children struck another car in Germantown early Tuesday, killing its driver, police said.

About 5:25 a.m. Tuesday, Montgomery County police and fire and rescue personnel responded to the intersection of Great Seneca Highway and Clopper Road after a report of a serious collision, police said.

A preliminary investigation determined that a white Kia Optima, which was later reported stolen from a county residence, entered the intersection and struck a Toyota Matrix traveling on Clopper Road, according to police. Both vehicles were extensively damaged.

The Kia’s occupants ranged in age from 12 to 15, police said. “None of them was a licensed driver in the state of Maryland,” police spokesperson Shiera Goff said in an interview.

The driver of the Toyota died at the scene, police said. The man was not publicly identified.

Police are still investigating the circumstances, Goff said. “Right now, I won’t say who was at fault,” she said. But she added that police had received a report that the Kia was being driven “erratically.”

About 40 or 50 first responders worked at the scene, according to Pete Piringer, spokesperson for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service. The occupants of both cars were trapped, Piringer said, and emergency workers had to cut through the mangled metal to extricate them. “It was pretty labor intensive,” he said.

All seven juveniles were transported to hospitals, Goff said, and two were in critical condition. The person driving the Kia was among those in critical condition, police said.

Liam Scott is a reporter on the Metro desk covering transportation and breaking news.