Maryland woman who hit, killed 2 kids walking to school indicted on manslaughter charges
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 2 students killed while walking to Riverdale Elementary School
Maryland Governor Wes Moore is among the officials offering condolences as the Riverdale Park Community deals with two children killed. A van struck two elementary school students as the two were on their way to class. FOX 5’s Stephanie Ramirez has the latest details.
PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. - A 51-year-old woman has been indicted in the deaths of two young children who were hit and killed walking to their elementary school in Riverdale Park, Maryland last year.
Olga Lugo Jiminez has been charged with manslaughter after she struck 5-year-old Sky Sosa and 10-year-old Shalom Mbah with her car on Nov. 23, 2023.
Lugo Jiminez is accused of hitting the two kids around 8 a.m. while in the crosswalk as they made their way to Riverdale Elementary School. Both later died at the hospital from their injuries.
An adult male who was related to one of the children was also struck but sustained non-life threatening injuries.
"My heart goes out to the parents of these young souls, who were lost in this horrific event," said State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy. "It is also unfortunate that fellow students witnessed this unthinkable incident since it happened as they were headed to school. We will hold Ms. Lugo Jimenez accountable to the fullest extent of the law."
RELATED: 2 children struck, killed by vehicle near Riverdale Elementary School in Prince George's Co.
Police say Lugo Jiminez was driving a van southbound on Taylor Road when she made a left turn into the intersection where the kids were walking.
A fourth grader at Riverdale Elementary who said they saw the accident said Jiminez stopped and scrambled out of her van after the kids were hit.
"And then next I saw a whole bunch of teachers running," the fourth grader told FOX 5 DC's Stephanie Ramirez back in November.
At the time, Prince George’s County Police Chief Malik Aziz said it wasn’t clear if the driver made a complete stop or a rolling stop at the intersection.
Following their months-long investigation, police ultimately charged Lugo Jiminez with two counts of criminally negligent manslaughter as well as two counts of causing serious physical injury/death of a vulnerable individual while operating a motor vehicle.
On Tuesday, Prince George’s County police disclosed that Lugo Jiminez lawfully entered the U.S. in 2003. However, she violated the terms of her admission into the country.
Lugo-Jiminez was being held at the Prince George’s County Detention Center but she was released from the facility on an unknown date.