What to Know
- A student from the University of Delaware is dead and seven other people were hurt as two people in an overdue U-Haul truck were fleeing police officers in Newark, Delaware, on Tuesday, April 29, 2025 according to officials
- This all unfolded around 4:30 p.m. when officers found a U-Haul truck that was reported by the company after it wasn't returned on its due date of March 18, police said
- Officials identified the driver of a U-Haul truck as Gordon Turner, 22, of New Castle, Delaware.
- Marina Vasconcelos, a 24-year-old University of Delaware graduate student, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officials identified the University of Delaware graduate student who they say was struck and killed by the driver of a U-Haul truck.
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WATCH HEREMarina Vasconcelos, 24, of Northeast, Maryland, was killed in a chain-reaction crash that also injured seven other people in Newark, Delaware, on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, police said.
Gordon Turner, 22, of New Castle, Delaware, was arrested in connection to the crash. He is charged with murder – death caused during commission of a felony, murder – reckless conduct showing indifference to human life, assault – conduct creating risk of death or serious injury, disregarding a police officer’s signal and possession/consumption of marijuana in excess of personal use quantity.
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SIGN UP The incident began on Tuesday around 3:50 p.m. when Newark Police located an unoccupied U-Haul van that had been reported as an unauthorized use vehicle that should have been returned on March 18, 2025. The van was parked in a shopping center on the 200 block of East Main Street.
At 4:34 p.m., Turner and a passenger returned to the van and police moved in to arrest them, officials said. Turner then allegedly got into the vehicle and drove over a curb, striking a police vehicle before fleeing onto East Main Street at a high speed.
Officials said the officers did not pursue. Instead, they remained within the shopping center as Turner sped onto East Main Street, according to investigators.
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Turner’s vehicle continued speeding westbound on East Main Street, just west of Haines Street. Police said Turner then lost control of his vehicle and struck two pedestrians who were on the north side of East Main Street. He then struck several parked cars, including a vehicle with four people inside and another vehicle with one person inside, officials said.
The U-Haul finally came to rest on East Main Street at Center Street in front of the post office, officials said. The crashes caused a chain reaction where a third pedestrian was injured after being struck by a parked vehicle that was pushed during the initial collision, investigators said.
Police officers responded to the crash to help the victims. One of the pedestrians, later identified as Vasconcelos, was pronounced dead at the scene. Vasconcelos was a graduate student at the school who was studying to get her PHD in chemistry, according to her fiancé's coworkers.
"She was really vibrant. She loved dogs," Mackenzie McCracken, the victim's friend, said.
The second pedestrian, another 24-year-old University of Delaware graduate student, also suffered serious injuries. The student was taken to the hospital in stable condition.
Turner was taken to the hospital where he was evaluated and then placed into police custody. Police also took in Turner's passenger, but that person has not been charged at this time.
Turner was a fugitive wanted in the states of Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, according to investigators. NBC10 learned that in Maryland, a judge had issued a warrant for Turner's arrest in February 2025 after he failed to show up to his court hearing. That was an illegal gun possession case for which he pleaded guilty.
He was also accused of fleeing police in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. During that incident in February 2023, Turner fled after police tried to pull him over for a suspended driver's license and registration, according to the affidavit of probable cause. During the chase, Turner reached speeds of 109 mph and at one point threw a light blue handgun out of the window of his vehicle, investigators said. Police also said they found pill bottles and marijuana inside Turner's vehicle after they stopped him.
East Main Street was closed for about five hours due to the crash.
Anyone with information related to this incident is encouraged to contact Cpl. Jon Lee at (302) 366-7100 ext. 3462 or jlee@newark.de.us.
As of early Wednesday morning, a memorial had emerged at the scene of the deadly crash. Signs called for drivers to slow down and for safety measures to be put in place to protect students and the general public.
Friends of Vasconcelos said that she would have joined the fight and would have called for more safety measures on Main Street.
"We all live, work, shop here. We walk down Main Street 5 times a day so, it could have been anyone," University of Delaware student Anabel Dease said.
At the start of the school year in late August, 2024, someone on a motorcycle was speeding away from police when a freshman was hit by the bike and killed on Main Street. Police said that they did not chase the motorcyclist in that case.
This is the second deadly crash in Newark, Delaware, in two days.
"We as a community must also take action to prevent future tragedies," Newark Mayor Travis McDermott said during a press conference on Wednesday. "We need a multipronged approach that focuses both on improving road and pedestrian safety and ensuring that those who choose to flee from law enforcement face serious consequences for their reckless actions, regardless of the outcome."
McDermott added, "Subjects fleeing from people has become alarmingly common across this state. It happens every single day. And that should concern all of us."
"I can tell you that from the testimonies from our students, they are scared. They are scared about walking on Main Street, and that is hardly the type of environment we want at the university and I know that is not the environment that the city of Newark or the state of Delaware wants for any of us here, " said University of Delaware Vice President José-Luis Riera. "The University of Delaware will continue to advocate for and support the efforts of our legislative partners and our state government administrators, if you heard from Mayor McDermott to invest in measures that can make Main Street safer for all, especially pedestrians."
The University of Delaware released a statement to the community regarding this incident saying in part:
"Main Street is where we eat, shop and share our lives with our friends, families and classmates. Because it is part of the state’s roadway systems, we have been working with local and state officials this year, including our partners at Delaware Department of Transportation, to address traffic safety on and around Main Street. In the wake of this tragedy, we will reinforce and accelerate those efforts. We recognize there isn’t a simple solution, particularly when these tragedies involve actions taken by individuals that may not be stopped by changes to roadways or infrastructure. However, this incident underscores that our collective efforts must take on renewed urgency."
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