Driver Charged In Crash That Killed HS Soccer Star, Critically Injured Teen

BEL AIR, MD — A Bel Air man has been indicted by a Harford County grand jury for charges related to the September 2025 crash that killed a C. Milton Wright High School student and critically injured another.

John Anthony Gaeta Jr., 39, was arrested Friday morning, after being charged Tuesday with negligent vehicular manslaughter, criminally negligent vehicular manslaughter and two counts of second-degree assault.

The three-vehicle crash happened in September 2025 on Route 543 in Bel Air. In that crash, 16-year-old soccer star Blake Elliott died and 17-year-old Zach Griffin was critically injured. Six others on the school bus sustained injuries, Patch reported previously.

A preliminary investigation by the Harford County Sheriff’s Office determined that a vehicle was heading north on Route 543 when it stopped to make a left turn. That vehicle was driven by Griffin and Elliott was a passenger. The vehicle was then hit from behind by another vehicle, which pushed it into the path of a school bus traveling south on Route 543, according to the sheriff’s office.

Related:

GoFundMe Accounts Created For 2 Teens Involved In Bel Air Car Crash

Teen Girl Killed In Crash With School Bus In Bel Air