Teen passenger arrested after stolen car strikes, kills motorcyclist in West Baltimore

A 15-year-old girl who was riding in a stolen car involved in a fatal collision with a motorcyclist in West Baltimore on Wednesday afternoon has been arrested, police said.

Baltimore Police officials said in a news release that two people were traveling in the stolen car just before 1:40 p.m. when it collided with a motorcyclist, 69-year-old Barry Wright, at the intersection of North Dukeland Street and West North Avenue.

Officials said Wright was taken to the hospital, where he died. Those in the stolen car — including the 15-year-old girl, who was a passenger — fled the scene on foot after the car became disabled, police said.

The teen has been charged with motor vehicle theft, said Vernon Davis, a spokesperson for the Baltimore Police Department.

The department’s Traffic Investigation Unit is investigating.

There have been 14 fatal crashes in Baltimore this year, half of which have included motorcyclists, according to data from the Maryland Highway Safety Office.

The Baltimore City Department of Transportation marks the East North Avenue/West North Avenue corridor as Tier 1, the highest tier, on its high-injury network. It has been the site of 11 fatalities between 2019 and 2023, according to city data.

Last week, 16 people were hospitalized when four teenagers riding in a stolen Hyundai Elantra struck a Maryland Transit Administration bus. Baltimore Police officials did not respond to a request for an update on the teenagers, who remained hospitalized as of last Friday.