Semitruck driver in deadly interstate crash fraudulently obtained license, citizenship: officials
The Ohio semitruck driver charged in fiery I-71 crash that killed a family of three allegedly used a fake identity to obtain his CDL and citizenship.
Ohio officials say a semitruck driver charged in a fiery interstate crash that killed a young family of three fraudulently obtained an Ohio driver’s license, a commercial driver’s license and later U.S. citizenship under an alternate identity.
The driver, Modou F. Ngom, 50, was arrested after authorities said he caused an April 11 chain-reaction crash on Interstate 71 northbound near U.S. 36, where a semitrailer slammed into slowed traffic in a construction zone and ignited a deadly fire.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol said the crash killed a 37-year-old man, a 36-year-old woman and a 1-year-old child from Ashley, Ohio, who were traveling in a Chevrolet Silverado.
Three others sustained serious injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
In a statement, Ohio Department of Public Safety Director Andy Wilson confirmed to Fox News that investigators with the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles and Ohio State Highway Patrol uncovered conflicting identity information in state and federal records after Ngom’s arrest.
Ngom, he said, entered the United States in the 1990s and used multiple names and dates of birth to obtain state and federal identification documents.
Wilson alleged that Ngom fraudulently obtained a new Ohio driver’s license and later a commercial driver’s license in 2007 under an alternate identity and was later naturalized as a U.S. citizen under that same identity before changing his name back to Modou Ngom in 2015.
Wilson said he directed state investigators to turn the information over to Homeland Security Investigations and Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further investigation. He said the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio and the Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office were also notified.
Fox News Digital reached out to ICE.
LISTEN: 911 call captures fiery horror after driver allegedly used fake identity to get CDL
The crash unfolded in chaos, according to a 911 call and dispatch records obtained by Fox News.
"People are stuck in the car," one caller told dispatchers as flames spread.
Another voice on the call said, "They're definitely dead. The fire is, like, huge," while callers reported that multiple vehicles and the semi were burning.
"A lot of people are out of their vehicles and stopped in the middle of the highway," another female caller is heard telling the dispatcher. "Like, it's pretty bad."
The Columbus Dispatch identified the victims as Luke and Lynnea Soposki and their baby Logan. Lynnea was a veterinarian and Luke was an analytical chemist.
"Dr. Soposki was an extraordinary veterinarian, a compassionate caregiver and a deeply valued member of our team," the Muirfield Animal Hospital said. "She brought kindness, dedication and a genuine love for her patients and their families into every interaction."
Ngom was jailed after the crash on vehicular homicide charges, according to police. He was indicted by a Delaware County grand jury on the seven felony charges April 16.
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