A man and woman died in a fiery crash early Wednesday in Prince George’s County, Maryland, after a driver stole a Kia, crashed into the victims’ car and ran, authorities say.
The names of the dead were not immediately released. Family members told News4 the victims were coworkers who often shared a ride home together.
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WATCH HEREAccording to the initial investigation, the man and woman were in a Toyota Camry at Landover Road and Old Landover Road before 2:30 a.m. when the Kia crashed into them. The victims had been trying to turn left onto southbound Landover Road, Prince George’s County police said.
The Camry and Kia caught fire, and the Kia driver ran, police said.
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SIGN UP The man and woman died on the scene. Police later identified them as 42-year-old John Fombi, of Bladensburg, and 34-year-old Emmaculate Enoh, of Hyattsville.
The vehicle was stolen from Upper Marlboro hours earlier, police said.
The car theft and tragedy occurred as hundreds of Kias have been stolen in the county this year alone.
A resident’s doorbell camera captured the violent hit-and-run. A flash could be seen.
Resident Sarah Brown said she heard a screech of tires and then the crash.
“That’s not what you expect to be witnessing at 2:30 in the morning, especially almost on your front lawn,” she said. "I was like, 'The cars are on fire, the cars are on fire!'"
Brown called 911, but said that by the time she got to her window, it was too late. The cars were engulfed in flames and there was no sign of the driver responsible.
"Explosions started to happen. Of course the 911 operator just kept saying, 'Don't go outside, don't go outside. Stay 100 feet from the vehicle,'" Brown said.
Investigators examined the mangled wreckage. Family members of the victims could be seen in apparent shock.
A family member of the woman who was killed said that when she didn’t arrive home at her normal time, the family knew something was wrong. They were too distraught to speak on camera on Wednesday morning.
"I'm really sad for the family. My condolences out to them," Brown said. "What felt like a long couple of seconds for me of course obviously has made a life-altering impact for these families... They're my neighbors."
No information on a suspect was immediately released.
Hit-and-run comes amid national spike in Kia thefts
Police determined that the Kia involved in the crash had been stolen from a home in Upper Marlboro just hours earlier.
The driver stole the Kia as the viral “Kia Boyz” social media challenge has been linked to a rise in Kia thefts nationally.
So far this year, 827 Kias have been stolen in Prince George’s County, police said. Officers have arrested 176 people in connection to the theft of Kias and Hyundais this year; of those, 125 have been juveniles.
A group of state attorneys general recently requested a recall for Kias and Hyundais. The attorneys general of Maryland and D.C. joined 16 mothers in sending the letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, pointing to several fatal crashes in the U.S. involving the stolen cars. But the NHTSA declined to issue the recall.
Brown, the neighbor, said she hopes that driver will face justice.
“I hope the person that is responsible, or persons, step forward and do the right thing,” she said.
Anyone with potentially relevant information is asked to contact police.
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Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
