William Vance Payne was killed in a fatal crash involving a stolen car driven by a 13-year-old boy
William Vance Payne, a 58-year-old Virginia man, died on Tuesday after his vehicle was struck by a stolen Kia Optima driven by a 13-year-old boy. The collision occurred at the intersection of Clopper Road and Great Seneca Highway in Germantown, Maryland. Payne, a mechanical engineer at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, was traveling to work when his 2007 Toyota Matrix was hit by the stolen sedan, which carried seven children ranging in age from 12 to 15. While the 13-year-old driver was taken to the hospital in critical but stable condition, the other six juveniles suffered injuries of varying severity. The crash has sparked a debate regarding juvenile crime and accountability in Maryland. State Representative Kathy Szeliga has called for a public information campaign to warn young people about the consequences of driving stolen vehicles. The Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office is currently investigating the incident, with charges for the children to be determined after the investigation is complete.