Updated April 23, 2026, 7:53 p.m. ET
Note: This story has been updated to include additional information.
Delaware County, Ohio — April 23, 2026 — State investigators say the I-71 truck driver in a triple-fatal crash used an alternate identity.
According to the Ohio Department of Public Safety, Director Andy Wilson said the state referred identity findings on Modou Ngom, 50, to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Federal and local prosecutors have been notified.
Authorities said Ngom has been in custody since crashing into slowed northbound traffic on I-71 near the U.S. 36/Route 37 interchange in a work zone. He pleaded not guilty April 21 to 3 counts of aggravated vehicular homicide and 4 counts of vehicular assault and remained in the Delaware County Jail as of 11 a.m. April 23.
The April crash involved 10 vehicles; 3 people were killed and several others injured, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Authorities identified the victims as Lynnea and Luke Soposki and their 1-year-old son, Logan.
A crash report said Ngom failed to leave adequate space during a slowdown and rear-ended the Soposki family's Chevrolet Silverado at about 25 mph, triggering multiple collisions. Ngom's tractor-trailer and the Silverado left the roadway, struck the cable median barrier and caught fire.
Half the vehicles were destroyed by fire and 7 sustained disabling damage, OSHP reported. I-71 traffic was shut for 7 hours; emergency responders arrived 8 minutes after the first report.
The report noted negative alcohol and drug tests for Ngom. Witnesses reported the tractor-trailer swerving and driving erratically before impact.
According to the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles and OSHP, investigators uncovered conflicting identity records; Wilson said Ngom was naturalized under an alternate identity and changed his name in 2015. The investigation remains active.