Social Media Manager: Samantha McCarthy 

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One woman was killed and 13 were injured after a driver sped through an outdoor birthday party in Bladensburg, Maryland.

Among the 13 injured were 8 children between the ages of 1 and 17. 

The driver was later identified after he turned himself in. Sunday Joseph, 66, is facing multiple charges after backing into a white tent that had been set up in the backyard at around 10:15 p.m. Police came across the scene while patrolling the neighborhood and stopped to help those trapped underneath the vehicle. 

As of the writing of this article, investigators believe that the incident was an accident and that there was no intent or motive. Bladensburg Acting Police Chief Daniel Frischkron stated at a press conference that Joseph is believed to have been alone in the vehicle, fleeing on foot after the incident occurred. 

Joseph was taken into custody the following Monday with the following charges: criminal negligent manslaughter by vehicle, negligent manslaughter by auto, and failure to remain at the scene of an accident where a death occurred. 

Investigators are still looking into the exact cause of the accident. 

Neighbor’s security camera footage has been released capturing audio of the crash. The video and other information about the incident can be viewed here. 

“The investigation will determine if the accident was alcohol-related and if speed was a factor. We currently have some witness information that both of those may have been a factor. However, additional investigation will determine if that’s the case,” said Frischkron.

Frischkron later stated that one child and two adults are still hospitalized (as of the following Monday), and the accident tragically took the life of 31-year-old Ashley Hernandez Gutierrez. 

Neighbors, friends, and other family members have expressed the distress and pain that has risen from this incident. 

“I cried all night long. I’m still crying. To hurt that many people and babies? I heard that mother crying for her baby. I didn’t realize babies was out there with them, and that is really very, very sad,” Bobbie Brown, a neighbor, told ABC 7 News. 

Frischkron later discussed the peculiarity of the incident, saying, “I’ve been in law enforcement for 38 years, and this is very unusual, especially with the amount of casualties that were involved in this particular incident.”

Alex Gutierrez, who was at the party to celebrate his niece’s 6th birthday, described the chaos of the moment. The family had been wrapping up their celebrations and saying goodbye when Joseph backed into the tent. 

“We were all saying goodbye to go home. In a matter of seconds all of that was destroyed very fast. It was just screeching down the street, and then a big bang. Literally, when I heard the tires, I looked towards the street and then I just see the car plow right through the tent,” Gutierrez told NBC Washington. 

“I see the car in the middle of the front yard and the first person I see was my sister and all I could do was scream,” said Karina Gutierrez, another cousin.

Investigation is still ongoing and the Bladensburg Police Department urges anyone with information that could contribute to their findings to come forward.