The victims, identified as, Luis Isaac Bran, 17, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, and Rebeca Gabriela Vasquez Moreno, 18, from El Salvador, were pronounced deceased at the scene by emergency medical services personnel. Both were passengers in a 2018 Toyota RAV4. The driver, Esperanza Del Carmen Vasquez De Bran, 50, also of Gaithersburg, was transported by ambulance to Suburban Hospital for treatment of injuries. Police believe Esperanza Bran is Luis Bran’s mother and Moreno’s aunt.
Troopers from the Rockville Barrack responded shortly before 5 a.m. to northbound Interstate 270 and Falls Road for a report of a multi-vehicle crash with a car on fire. According to a preliminary investigation, the Toyota and a 2003 BMW silver convertible were traveling north on I-270 when the BMW struck the rear of the Toyota and left the scene. The Toyota was rear-ended again in the travel lanes, this time by a 2015 Ford F-150. The driver of the Ford refused medical treatment at the scene.
The BMW was later located abandoned, disabled on the right shoulder approximately half a mile north of the crash site. Investigators are actively working to identify the driver of the BMW. Police believe alcohol was not a factor in the secondary crash. Roads were closed for about six hours. The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration assisted with road closures. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue also responded to the scene.
The Maryland State Police Crash Team is leading the investigation. Anyone with relevant information on the hit-and-run crash is asked to call the Rockville Barrack at 301-424-2101. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
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