Wrong-Way Fatal Crash Caused By Teen Fleeing Chase: Maryland State Police

ELLICOTT CITY, MD — A driver has died after police say his vehicle was hit head-on by a teen driving a stolen vehicle going the wrong direction on the I-70 ramp who had been involved in a police chase, officers say.

The incident happened shortly before 12:30 a.m. Monday. Maryland State Police officers were called to the ramp from westbound I-70 to southbound U.S. 29 for a report of a vehicle crash. According to a preliminary investigation, a 2013 Ford Explorer driven by a 17-year-old boy from Baltimore was traveling the wrong direction on the I-70 ramp when it hit a Toyota Camry head on.

Fred Eromosele Ehimen, 49, of Columbia was driving the Camry and pronounced dead at the scene, according to the MSP. The 17-year-old was flown to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center by MSP Aviation Command. Two additional passengers in the Explorer, a 13-year-old and 16-year-old, were taken to local hospitals by ambulance.

During the investigation, detectives learned that before the wrong-way crash, Frederick County sheriff’s deputies determined the Explorer had been stolen, which led to a pursuit involving the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office and Howard County Police Department. The pursuit was called off by police several miles before the crash happened, according to police.

The Maryland State Police Crash Team is leading the investigation. Charges are pending consultation with the Office of the State’s Attorney for Howard County. The investigation remains active and ongoing.