This story was updated on June 18 at 2 p.m.
An 18-year-old from Boyds died early this morning when the car he was riding in crashed on Frederick Road in Clarksburg.
According to Montgomery County Police, Richard Daehyung Chong, 18, from Boyds was driving a 2006 BMW M3 south on Frederick Road (Route 355) with Tae Kyo Seo, 18, riding as a passenger at about 3:15 a.m. when for an unknown reason, the car crossed into the northbound lanes and struck a wooden utility pole, said Officer Melanie Brenner, a county police spokeswoman. The crash occurred near the intersection of Running Brook Road and Route 355.
Seo was pronounced dead at the scene, Brenner said. Chong was taken to Suburban Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, she said. Both teens were wearing seatbelts.
Seo lived in the 21000 block of Seneca Ayr Drive. Chong lives in the 21000 block of Manor Crest Lane. Chong graduated from Clarksburg High School in 2008, according to a school system spokesman. Seo withdrew from Clarksburg High in December 2008.
A Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service crew was unable to extricate the passenger from the car until about 9 a.m., Brenner said. As a result, Frederick Road was closed through the morning rush hour from Foreman Boulevard to New Cut Road. The road has since reopened.
The police Collision Reconstruction Unit is investigating the cause of the crash. Anyone with information is asked to call 301-840-2435.