The man who caused a four-car accident on I-95 in April, leaving an Albion woman dead and her husband in critical condition, had entered the United States illegally from Mexico in January, the Maine Wire can confirm.
According to a U.S. Department of Homeland Security official, the Customs and Border Protection’s resident agent in Albion was contacted when Oguzhan Cildir, 23, was arrested at the scene of the accident because the arresting agency found that he “had immigration status from when he crossed on the Southwest border.”
The arresting agency then turned the individual over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement Removal Operations (ICE-ERO) for further processing and potential detainment.
According to the Maine Department of Pubic Safety (DPS), State Troopers responded to the crash near Exit 20 on I-95 in Wells on Friday, April 26, at around 8:40 a.m.
An initial investigation determined that the 23-year-old illegal alien — described at the time in media reports as living in Brighton, Mass. — was driving a Toyota Prius when he struck a minivan and a pickup truck, the department said in a press release.
Maine DPS said the pickup truck rolled over several times after being struck by Cildir’s Prius, and that the driver of the truck, 53-year-old Gloria Cascio of Albion, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Her passenger and husband, Albion resident Vincent Cascio, 60, was flown by helicopter to Maine Medical Center with serious injuries.
Cildir was taken by ambulance to Maine Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.
Witness capturing the LifeFlight leaving the scene of a multi-crash accident on The Maine Turnpike, southbound, between Kennebunk and Wells.@WMTWTV pic.twitter.com/THhVS2zvxA
— Jim Keithley (@JimKeithleyWMTW) April 26, 2024
The drivers of the minivan and the fourth car involved in the crash, a gray Chevy Impala, were not seriously injured, Maine DPS said.
A law enforcement source familiar with the matter told the Maine Wire that at least five witnesses on the scene confirmed to police that Cildir had been driving erratically, weaving in between cars, prior to the crash.
The source also said that Cildir does not have a driver’s license. It’s unclear how he was able to obtain the Prius or who the vehicle may have belonged to.
Despite Cildir’s immigration status and involvement in the crash, the source said that York County District Attorney Kathryn Slattery has been reluctant to pursue charges against him, potentially due to Cildir facing deportation if charged with a crime.
The Maine Wire reached out to York DA Slattery on Friday asking whether her office chose not to charge Cildir with a crime due to his immigration status.
Slattery wrote in an email Monday that the crash “remains under investigation” and that she could not comment further.
She added that her office “has not received a final report” on the matter.
