14-Year-Old Driver Dies In Fiery Car Crash With 3 Other Teens: Medical Examiner

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — The driver behind the wheel of a fiery car crash that killed all four teens on board Sept. 29 in Mitchellville was 14 years old, authorities said.

On Monday, the chief medical examiner confirmed the driver was 14-year-old Marquay Swann of Lanham. Two of the passengers were 15-year-old Zyshaun Cuffey of Glenarden and 15-year-old Serenity Sellman of Upper Marlboro, according to WUSA9. The fourth teen has not yet been identified.

Mona Hamilton confirmed her granddaughter, Serenity Sellman, was in the vehicle. Serenity's mother, Rose Sellman, has created a GoFundMe to help with "Ren's" funeral expenses.

"She was a nice girl and she didn’t know the car was stolen. Had I known she was going, I wouldn’t have let her go there," Hamilton told 7News.

"Serenity was just at the wrong place at the wrong time," added Serenity's aunt, Sheila Hamilton. "If she knew the vehicle was stolen, she would not have gotten in that vehicle, and that's a promise."

Family members told WUSA9 that Serenity's cousin was also killed in the crash. They identified him as 17-year-old Datreal Byers. Police have not confirmed that Datreal was the fourth person in the car.

The vehicle that burned up with the teens inside had been involved in an armed carjacking earlier that day in Greenbelt, according to Prince George's County Police. Officers in the area of Lottsford Road and Palmetto Drive saw a Kia Sorento with expired temporary tags around 7:30 p.m. Officers turned on their emergency equipment and tried to stop the Kia, but the vehicle sped off. Police pursued the Kia but lost sight of it and ended their chase.

Officers were told the registered vehicle didn't match the paper tag, so they continued to search for the Kia but couldn't find it, according to the police department.

Four minutes later, a witness told police the driver of the Kia passed them on the shoulder of the road in the 12800 block of Woodmore Road. While passing the vehicle, the driver lost control and crashed into a tree. The Kia Sorento burst into flames.

Rescue workers put out the fire and tried to save the four people inside, but all were pronounced dead at the scene.

The crash site was about 2.5 miles from the site of the attempted traffic stop, the police department noted.

Two of the four teens killed in the fiery car crash were students at Charles H. Flowers High School, according to Prince George's County Public Schools. Aisha Braveboy, state’s attorney for Prince George’s County, called the crash a "series of bad choices made by young people that led to tragic outcomes."

The school's principal sent a letter home to families that was obtained by FOX 5 DC.

"We have learned that two of our beloved students were involved in a fatal car accident and, tragically, did not survive," the letter from Dr. Gorman E. Brown reads. "This loss leaves a deep void in our school community, and our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends. Their lives were filled with promise, and their absence is felt profoundly by all who knew them."

The letter does not name either of the students. The other two people who died have not been identified, but according to the Prince George's County state's attorney, they are also believed to be teens.

"What we are seeing really is a series of bad choices being made by young people that lead to tragic outcomes," Braveboy said. "This drives home my point. The Department of Juvenile Services should not just be releasing people accused of violent crime before seeing a judge."

Hamilton agreed the system failed the teen with a troubled criminal background, she told 7News.

"Nobody helped him. He was basically homeless," she said.

Related:

• 4 Killed When Stolen Kia Crashes Into Tree, Bursts Into Flames: Police
• Teens Involved In Deadly Fiery Car Crash, Principal Speaks Out