Driver convicted of manslaughter in Harford County crash th…

Car Crash Maryland Today in Maryland: John Anthony Gaeta was convicted Friday of criminally negligent manslaughter following a bench trial in Harford County. The Sept. 18, 2025 crash on North Fountain Green Road near Crescent Knoll Drive occurred when Gaeta rear-ended a car driven by 17-year-old Zach Griffin, who was lawfully stopped on northbound Maryland Route 543 to turn left onto Crescent Knoll Drive. The impact pushed Griffin's car into a school bus, trapping him and his 16-year-old passenger, Blake Elliott, a C. Milton Wright High School soccer standout. Griffin was flown to Shock Trauma with serious injuries, and Elliott was taken to a hospital, where she died. Prosecutors said data showed Gaeta did not brake or steer to avoid the collision, traveling 371 feet in five seconds and only slowing from 53 mph to 47 mph, while his phone was unlocked with the screen illuminated at the time of impact.