A 20-year-old e-bike rider is dead after a driver struck him from behind on St. Barnabas Road in Temple Hills and sped off without stopping, leaving Prince George’s County police searching for a dark blue SUV with possible front-end damage. Manuel Mateo-Molina died the day after the crash, and detectives say they still have not identified who was behind the wheel.
According to DC News Now, officers responded around 11:40 p.m. Monday to St. Barnabas Road and Stamp Road, where they found Mateo-Molina injured in the roadway. Both he and the SUV driver had been traveling east on St. Barnabas Road when police say the SUV hit him from behind. He was taken to a hospital, where he died on September 8, and the driver fled the scene without stopping to render aid.
The Prince George’s County Police Department has assigned the case number 26-0047864 to the investigation, which is being led by its Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit, according to the Prince George's County Police Department. Detectives are asking anyone with dash-cam or surveillance footage from the area to call 301-731-4422 or contact Crime Solvers.
A Corridor With a Troubled Safety History
St. Barnabas Road, officially known as Maryland Route 414, has drawn state attention for years as a priority corridor for pedestrian safety upgrades. Per WUSA9, the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration has targeted the road for safety improvements, including proposed speed limit reductions from 40 mph down to 30 mph, along with continental crosswalk installations.
This is not the first deadly crash on the same stretch of road. On July 7, 60-year-old Anthony Wigglesworth was struck and killed while attempting to cross the 4700 block of St. Barnabas Road, as reported by The BayNet; that driver remained on scene and was uninjured. In March 2025, 56-year-old Temple Hills resident Kilinia Rhone died after being struck by a vehicle in the same 4700 block, in a crash that occurred around 9:30 p.m. in the northbound lanes, according to Zirkin and Schmerling Law.
Legal Exposure if the Driver Is Found
If identified, the driver who fled Monday's crash could face steep consequences. Under Maryland Transportation Code § 20-102 and § 20-104, leaving the scene of a crash that results in death is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison, fines up to $10,000, and an automatic 12-point assessment leading to license revocation, according to the Marigold Law Center. Maryland law requires drivers involved in injury or fatal crashes to remain at the scene and render aid regardless of fault.
Mateo-Molina's e-bike was legally entitled to share the road with vehicle traffic. Under Maryland Transportation Code § 21-1205.2, electric bicycles equipped with motors up to 750 watts are classified similarly to traditional bicycles and are granted full access to public roadways and bike lanes, per Upway.
Part of a Broader, If Improving, Regional Trend
The crash comes even as traffic deaths across the county have been trending downward. Traffic fatalities in Prince George's County dropped to 97 in 2025, down from 140 in 2023, reflecting a broader regional decline in D.C.-area traffic deaths after a pandemic-era surge, according to The Washington Post. Regional transportation officials note that local traffic deaths remain roughly equivalent to levels recorded a decade ago.
The county's Vision Zero program has established a High Injury Network identifying one-mile road corridors with the highest concentration and severity of pedestrian and bicycle crashes to guide infrastructure investment, with a stated goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and severe injuries by 2030. In June 2024, the Maryland Department of Transportation awarded more than $1.5 million in pedestrian and bicycle safety grants statewide, including funding for public safety displays and high-risk driving simulators in Prince George's County.
For now, the search continues for the driver of the dark blue SUV that struck Mateo-Molina and drove away. Anyone with information is urged to contact PGPD's Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit or Crime Solvers.
