2 MD Teens Killed In New Jersey Turnpike Crash Have Been Identified; 4 Others Hurt

HYATTSVILLE, MD — The deceased victims of a crash Sunday in New Jersey were identified as two Hyattsville teens whose parents want to lay them to rest in their native countries.

Two people were killed and four others were injured after an SUV veered off the New Jersey Turnpike, went down an embankment and hit a tree early Sunday in Harrison Township, officials said. Four people were thrown from the vehicle.

The deceased victims are Juan Carlos Munguia-Palma, 19, and a 14-year-old, whose name was withheld by officials on Wednesday.

Both are from Hyattsville, where the 19-year-old driver also lives, said Sgt. Jeffrey Lebron, a State Police spokesperson.

The driver and his three other passengers were taken to the hospital and are in stable condition, Lebron told Patch at noon Wednesday.

Family members have identified the deceased boy as Dennis Burgos.

A GoFundMe was established to help Burgos's family with funeral expenses in Maryland and to lay him to rest in El Salvador, where he is from.

"He was on his way to New York when the driver lost control of the car," the GoFundMe says. "The car went off the ramp, causing the car to flip multiple times until crashing (into) a tree that fell on top of them."

Meanwhile, a similar GoFundMe was created for Munguia-Palma, whose family wants to lay him to rest in his native Mexico after a funeral in Maryland.

It remains unclear what caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle. The crash remains under investigation.

Visit the GoFundMe pages for Burgos and Munguia-Palma.

Story includes reporting from the Patch team in New Jersey.