A woman died early Sunday morning in a hit-and-run incident on Route 1, marking the fifth pedestrian accident this year.
Prince George’s County Police Department officials reported Janelle Oni, 21, suffered critical injuries when Jacky Luangraj, 33, struck her on Route 1 near the 7300 block of Baltimore Avenue. After police were called to the scene at about 3:00 a.m. Oni, who is not a student at the University of Maryland, was pronounced dead, according to Prince George’s County Police spokeswoman Cpl. Maria McKinney.
Luangraj drove northbound on Route 1 with a BAC twice the legal limit, the preliminary investigation suggests. He hit Oni as she tried to cross the street and then drove away, according to a Prince George’s County Police press release. Luangraj was not injured in the incident.
Prince George’s County police officers later stopped the suspect’s car during a lookout at Route 1 and I-495 and arrested him. Luangraj faces 13 charges, including negligent auto homicide and driving under the influence, according to the press release.
The incident comes after campus and city officials campaigned to improve pedestrian safety last semester, during which five accidents occurring on Route 1. A car struck a pedestrian crossing Route 1 at Knox Road on May 3 and the pedestrian suffered minor injuries. Before then, a vehicle fatally struck a pedestrian who was crossing Route 1 at Knox Road on April 11.
To combat the problem, College Park officials said they wanted to change the hours of operations for speed cameras. University students created a petition to build sidewalk barriers outside of Cornerstone Grill and Loft and R.J. Bentley’s.
For a summary of accidents that occurred on the Route 1 in the past year, read below:
