Driver Charged In Fatal Easter Sunday Crash In Manassas: Police

MANASSAS, VA — A driver from Bristow was charged in connection with the Easter Sunday car crash that killed a 13-year-old boy in Manassas earlier this year, according to the Prince William County Police Department. Authorities said the driver, Edward Yojan Aguirre Benitez, was involved in another car crash before the fatal incident on April 4.

Police claimed that Benitez was driving a 2002 Honda Civic with one passenger in the front seat and three children in the back seat. The fatal crash occurred when the Honda Civic ran a red light making a left turn from Prince William Parkway to University Boulevard, according to a report from the police department.

As the Civic made the left turn, a 2003 Ford F-250 entered the intersection travelling southbound. The truck hit the rear of the Civic, pinning the 13-year-old passenger inside the vehicle, police said.

Read more: 13-Year-Old Boy Killed, 2 Children Hurt In Manassas Crash: Police

A 16-year-old passenger in the back seat of the Civic was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, authorities said. He was thrown from the car and suffered life-threatening injuries.

An off-duty police officer assisted a responding officer in pulling the 13-year-old from the car, according to police. They provided CPR to the child as they waited for emergency personnel to arrive on the scene.

A 9-year-old boy who was in the Civic was also seriously injured in the crash.

The two adult occupants of the Civic and the driver of the F-250 were treated at the hospital for minor injures, according to authorities.

During their investigation, the police department determined that the Civic was involved in a crash prior to the fatal incident. "The accused struck a separate vehicle, a 2017 Volkswagen Jetta, in the area of Sudley Rd and Portsmouth Rd in Manassas before fleeing the scene," the Prince William County Police Department wrote in the police report. "The other driver involved in that collision, identified as a 37-year-old woman, followed the accused to the area of the Prince William Pkwy where the fatal crash occurred."

Benitez is charged with reckless driving, hit and run, and driving without an operator's license. He was released on a summons, and his court date is scheduled for Sept. 20, 2021.