In about four hours all lanes of the interstate movement reopened.
CYGNET, Ohio – Napoleon faces criminal charges following an accident involving at least six cars on I-75 on Sunday night that killed two people.
The Ohio State Road Patrol said Monday morning that 24-year-old Nicholas Luderman, Napoleon, is being held in Wood County Jail on two counts of car murder.
The patrol said Luderman was to blame for the crash, which occurred just before 10pm near Cygnet.
When the military arrived at the scene, they found several cars involved in the crash, two of which were completely engulfed in flames.
The patrol said the incident began when a 2018 silver Chevy Malibu heading south on I-75 crashed into a 2003 black Dodge Dakota. The Dodge then drove through the center middle and crashed into at least two cars in the north lane.
Other cars in the area were damaged by wreckage, and the Dodge Dakota and red Jeep Grand Cherokee were engulfed in flames.
Dodge driver, Andrew Jones, 19, Findley; and the driver of the jeep, 23-year-old Cassidy Kshikwa, Kalamazoo, Michigan, both died at the scene, the patrol said.
Two other passengers of the jeep, Anthony Rastig and Letty Rastig, were taken by helicopter from the scene to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
The fourth vehicle involved, a 2019 Ford Flex, was driven by John Heezy of Michigan. He, his wife and their two minor children were taken to Wood County Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The fifth car involved was a Kia Forte driven by 27-year-old Alyssa Thompson of Bowling Green. Thompson received minor injuries and was taken to Wood County Hospital.
As emergency crews worked Sunday night, interstate traffic lanes to the north were blocked for more than four hours. The lanes in the southern traffic were blocked for about four hours.
The incident is still under investigation, and the road patrol said it expects to release more information about additional vehicles and additional people later.
Authorities believe the accident was caused by alcohol, and Luderman was charged with two counts of aggravated murder.
