Crime
Sunday Okedeyi Joseph Crashes Vehicle into Children’s Birthday Party Tent in Bladensburg
BLADENSBURG, Md. — Authorities have identified 66-year-old Sunday Okedeyi Joseph, a Washington, D.C. resident, as the driver who crashed a vehicle in reverse into a children’s birthday party in Bladensburg on Saturday night, killing one person and injuring 14 others before fleeing the scene on foot.
According to the Bladensburg Police Department, the tragic incident occurred shortly before 10:15 p.m. when Joseph, while driving in reverse, veered off the roadway and into a tent set up in the front yard of a home where the celebration was taking place.
The collision left several victims trapped beneath the vehicle.
Police said 31-year-old Ashley Hernandez Gutierrez was pronounced dead following the crash.
Fourteen additional victims, including eight children ranging in age from 1 to 17, were injured.
Most of the injured have since been released from the hospital, though one child and two adults remain under medical care as of Monday.
Bladensburg Acting Police Chief Daniel Frishkorn stated that the crash appeared to be accidental and not intentional or targeted.
A police officer on patrol nearby was among the first to arrive on scene after being flagged down by witnesses, and he assisted in lifting the vehicle off trapped victims.
Joseph reportedly fled on foot, abandoning his car at the scene, but turned himself in to authorities at approximately 8 a.m. Sunday morning.
Police continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident, including whether alcohol or excessive speed were contributing factors.
Chief Frishkorn described the situation as “highly unusual,” noting the rarity of a fatal crash involving a vehicle being driven in reverse.
Joseph now faces multiple charges, including:
- Criminally negligent manslaughter by vehicle
- Negligent manslaughter by automobile
- Failure to remain at the scene of an accident involving death
At a press conference Monday, Bladensburg Mayor Takisha James expressed the community’s collective grief and extended condolences to the victims and their families.
“Please know that the town of Bladensburg is fully committed to ensuring that the individual responsible is held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Mayor James said. “To the victims who are still recovering, our thoughts and prayers are with you. We wish you strength, comfort, and complete healing — not only from your physical injuries, but also from the emotional pain that accompanies such a traumatic experience.”
The investigation remains ongoing.
Crime
Mustapha Kharbouch Now-Deleted 2024 Manifesto Published in Institute for Palestine Studies Recovered
Brown University has removed multiple online references to student activist Mustapha Kharbouch in the days following a deadly campus shooting, a move that has drawn public attention amid heightened online speculation—despite law enforcement officials confirming that no suspects or persons of interest have been identified in the investigation.
Archived versions of Brown University webpages show that Kharbouch, a first-year student at the time, was previously listed in several university-affiliated roles, including as a student assistant and Cultural Programming Coordinator connected to the Global Brown Center.
His academic interests were described as focusing on International and Public Affairs and Anthropology, with involvement in Middle East–focused academic, cultural, and student programming.
Those pages are no longer accessible, and Kharbouch’s social media accounts have also been deactivated.
A verified buyer from the United States with the name “Mustapha K.” reviewed a 9MM muzzle brake through the Wing Tactical website on December 29th, 2024 — the same caliber used in the Brown shooting.
There are approximately a few hundred people in the entire United States with that first name + last initial combination.
University officials have not issued a public explanation for the removal of the online profiles.
The changes occurred as online speculation intensified in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, with social media users circulating screenshots of archived university pages and past writings associated with Kharbouch.
Among the materials resurfaced by online users was a 2024 essay authored by Kharbouch and published by the Institute for Palestine Studies as part of a special student essay series titled Genocide in Gaza: Student Essays — Brown University Encampment 2024.
The essay, titled “I Hear the Voice of My Ancestors Calling: From the Camps to the Campus,” was published on August 13, 2024, months before the shooting. The piece is a first-person reflective essay examining Palestinian identity, intergenerational memory, student activism, and questions of hope amid displacement, war, and protest.
The article includes poetic excerpts adapted from “Ancestors Song,” a chant popularized during student-led Palestine solidarity actions at Brown University, and documents Kharbouch’s participation in campus organizing efforts, including sit-ins, hunger strikes, rallies, and the Brown Gaza Solidarity Encampment.
The essay situates these experiences within a broader discussion of decolonial thought, feminist theory, and Palestinian history, including reflections on the 1948 Nakba and the author’s family history as a third-generation stateless Palestinian refugee raised in Lebanon.
The content of the essay is ideological, autobiographical, and academic in nature.
There is no reference to violence on campus, nor any indication of intent or planning related to criminal activity.
The Institute for Palestine Studies has not issued any statement suggesting the piece is under review or connected to the shooting.
Despite widespread online conjecture, law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and Providence Police, have not named Mustapha Kharbouch as a suspect or person of interest, and have publicly stated that there is no evidence linking him to the shooting.
Investigators have emphasized that the case remains active and that conclusions are being guided strictly by verified evidence.
Authorities have cautioned against drawing inferences from online speculation, warning that unsubstantiated claims can compromise investigations and cause undue harm to individuals not implicated by facts.
Media analysts and campus observers have suggested that Brown University’s decision to remove online references may have been taken as a protective or precautionary measure, particularly as misinformation and harassment proliferated across social media platforms following the attack.
Similar actions have been taken by institutions in other high-profile incidents to limit doxxing, targeted harassment, or the misinterpretation of publicly available biographical information during periods of heightened tension.
Brown University has not confirmed whether the removals were temporary, administrative, or safety-related in nature.
Authorities continue to urge the public to rely on confirmed information released by law enforcement and to avoid amplifying unverified narratives.
As of the most recent update, no arrests have been announced, no individuals have been publicly identified as suspects, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with credible information related to the shooting has been asked to contact investigators directly.