GERMANTOWN, Md. (7News) — A deadly early morning crash in Germantown, Maryland, left one man dead and seven children injured, with police saying all of the juveniles involved were inside the same vehicle, a stolen Kia Optima, with no adults and no licensed driver present.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service crews responded to the fiery crash at the intersection of Clopper Road and Great Seneca Highway around 5:30 a.m.
Fire officials said the crash involved two vehicles, with people trapped inside each. Crews quickly extinguished a small fire in one of the vehicles and rescued people from the cars.
Police said a total of eight people were involved in the crash: one adult male and seven kids, ranging in age from 12 to 15.
The man driving the blue Toyota Matrix, the sole occupant of the vehicle, died at the scene, according to police.
The seven children, ranging in age from 12 to 15, were all inside a white Kia Optima that police say was reported stolen hours after the crash.
Police said the juvenile driving the Kia was taken to the hospital and remains in critical but stable condition. The remaining juveniles were taken for treatment at areas trauma centers, police said.
Multiple people injured after a two-vehicle crash involving an overturned vehicle that caught fire Tuesday morning, Aug. 4, 2026, in Germantown, Maryland. (MCFRS).
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Investigators said there were no adults inside the white vehicle. Police also said none of the juveniles were old enough to be legally driving.
“What I can say to you is that the white vehicle, it had juveniles in the vehicle. They were between the ages of 12 and 15, none of them were licensed at the age of 15. No one is of age to be driving a vehicle,” Montgomery County Police spokeswoman Shiera Goff told 7News.
As of Tuesday morning, the intersection remained shut down and roads are expected to be closed for several hours, while investigators reconstruct the fatal crash.
Drivers are urged to avoid the area and seek alternate routes.
