A Germantown man is accused of driving the wrong way on Interstate 270 while drunk and causing a head-on collision that left a mother and her daughter dead.
The Maryland State Police said Sunday in a news release that Jose Caballero-Nolasco, 32, drove his Ford Mustang northbound in the southbound lanes just south of Democracy Boulevard in Bethesda at about 6:46 p.m. Saturday, hitting a Toyota Camry head-on.
State police said the Camry was being driven by a 62-year-old man and three passengers: Shamima Begum, 46, of Burke, Virginia; her daughter Areebah Jahin, 23, of Alexandria; and an 8-year-old girl.
The Baltimore Banner identified the 62-year-old man as Mohammed Faruk Hossain, the father of Jahin and the 8-year-old girl. He sustained minor injuries.
Jahin was pronounced dead at the scene, Begum died at a hospital and the 8-year-old suffered critical injuries but was in stable condition, according to WJLA-TV.
Mr. Caballero-Nolasco faces two counts of gross negligent manslaughter, two counts of homicide by motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol and one count of life-threatening injury by motor vehicle, state police said.
Mr. Caballero-Nolasco is a Salvadoran with an unclear immigration status, his defense attorney, Sharon Diamant, said, according to the Banner.
Police said Mr. Caballero-Nolasco had bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and smelled of alcohol, and investigators found no signs of him braking before impact, according to WTTG.
Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy told WTTG that “there were some beer bottles that he admitted that he had been drinking. There were other bottles that were empty, and full bottles were found within the vehicle.”
A Montgomery County District Court judge ordered Mr. Caballero-Nolasco held without bond, according to court records. He is due in court on Oct. 6.
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