Bladensburg Police reported Sunday afternoon that the children injured in the crash ranged in age from one to seventeen years old.
According to the Bladensburg Police Department, a tragic hit-and-run occurred late Saturday night at a children’s birthday party in Maryland, resulting in the death of one woman and injuries to eleven others.
The crash took place around 10:15 p.m. in the 4100 block of 56th Avenue, where eight minors — from toddlers to teenagers — were among those hurt. Police identified the woman killed as 31-year-old Ashley Hernandez Gutierrez of Washington, D.C., one of three adults transported to the hospital following the incident.
A 66-year-old man from Washington, D.C. later turned himself in to authorities on Sunday, admitting to detectives that he had driven the car into the birthday party. The crash killed Gutierrez and injured ten others. Police said criminal charges were pending as the department coordinated with the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Local resident Jocelyn Route, a former Prince George’s County school board member and Bladensburg councilmember, said she heard the crash from her home nearby.
Video shared by Potomac Press DC on X (formerly Twitter) showed police and firefighters at the scene early Sunday morning. A tent, believed to have been used for the birthday celebration, appeared torn and partially collapsed in front of a home.
Route described seeing several injured children, five of whom appeared to be in critical condition. She added that neighbors told her the driver had been speeding and driving erratically before attempting a U-turn and crashing into the tent.
According to police, the driver fled the scene on foot after the collision. In total, eleven people were taken to hospitals. Seven children, ages two to nine, were transported to Children’s National Hospital.
As of Sunday, police said six of the eight injured minors had been released from medical care, one child remained in stable condition, and among the adult survivors, one had been discharged while another continued receiving treatment.
