A driver will serve 10 years in prison after backing his car into a child’s birthday party last fall, killing one woman and striking 14 other people, in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
Sunday Joseph crashed his car into a tent where a party was taking place Oct. 20, 2025, in Bladensburg, injuring 14 people and killing 31-year-old Ashley Gutierrez, of D.C.
Joseph, 66, of D.C., pleaded guilty to one count of failure to remain at the scene of an accident and 14 counts of reckless driving. He was sentenced in Prince George’s County Circuit Court Thursday.
“Joseph was operating his vehicle in reverse along the roadway when he lost control, jumped the curb and crashed into the tent where the birthday celebration was going on,” Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Tara Jackson said.
He left the scene after the crash in the front yard of a home near the intersection of 56th Avenue and Maryland Route 450/Annapolis Road.
“Mr. Joseph fled the scene on foot with the car keys, instead of remaining on scene to assist the victims who were trapped under the vehicle, as well as emergency responders,” Jackson said.
Jackson said 12 people were hospitalized, three of which required surgery. Eight of the people with injuries were children.
“What began as a joyful celebration to celebrate a 6-year-old became a scene of unimaginable tragedy. While today’s guilty plea and sentencing represent an important measure of accountability, it cannot undo the profound loss suffered by Ashley’s loved ones or erase the physical and emotional injuries endured by the surviving victims,” Jackson said.
Joseph turned himself in to law enforcement the morning after the crash.
Questions still remain about what exactly caused Joseph to back into the party. Charging documents said Joseph reversed at “full speed” and witnesses told police that Joseph smelled like alcohol after the crash 鈥� but he ran away before police could test for alcohol or other substances.
“He did not make himself available to police officers immediately after the accident, so there was no testing that could have taken place as it relates to alcohol or any other intoxicating substance, and he was gone for 10 hours,” Jackson said.
In court, Joseph testified about health issues that he said contributed to the crash.
Jackson said the reasons given by Joseph in court were not “adequate,” but it could not be proven whether he’d been under the influence of drugs or alcohol during the crash.
Joseph was indicted in January on 36 charges, including grossly negligent manslaughter by motor vehicle.
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