Driver in fatal crash an illegal

• Article
• Comments ()
• Click-2-Listen
• Videos

By

The man involved in a weekend vehicle accident that killed a University of Maryland student is an illegal alien from Mexico, according to Prince George's County Police Department charging documents.

Police said Never Leopoldo Navarro-Montoya, 24, of the 9100 block of Springhill Lane in Greenbelt, crashed his Ford Ranger pickup truck into a Jeep Cherokee at about 3 a.m. Saturday on University Boulevard in College Park, causing the SUV to roll over and kill student Matthew Watson, 20, of Ellicott City, Md.

Witnesses gave a description of the pickup driver, who fled the scene. Police several hours later found a man who matched that description lying in the grass along University Boulevard, a third of a mile away from the crash. The man, who had facial cuts consistent with the accident evidence, was identified as Mr. Navarro-Montoya.

Police said Mr. Navarro-Montoya produced a permanent resident card and a Social Security card bearing his name. He told a Prince George's County police officer that the documents were fake and purchased in Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed that Mr. Navarro-Montoya was an illegal alien from Mexico, according to the charging documents.

Police said Mr. Navarro-Montoya was traveling west on University Boulevard when he hit the Jeep, which was turning left onto Metzerott Road.

Mr. Watson was a passenger in the Jeep. Two other passengers and the driver sustained injuries that were not life-threatening.

A spokeswoman at the Prince George's County Correctional Center, where Mr. Navarro-Montoya is being held, said he also is charged with one count each of driving while intoxicated and driving under the influence, and five counts of failure to stop.

Court documents state he also is charged with possession of false identification.

Mr. Navarro-Montoya is being held on $75,000 bail and is scheduled for a hearing July 31 at Maryland District Court in Hyattsville.

It is at the discretion of ICE whether to pursue a deportation hearing for Mr. Navarro-Montoya, officials said.