New Developments Released in Crash That Killed Reston Woman

By Jason Spencer

U.S. Park Police released new information Wednesday on a fatal car crash that happened early in the morning on Oct. 11.

Investigators originally said 36-year-old Katharine Jane Rahim of Reston lost control of her car at about 1:30 a.m. that day and died in the subsequent crash — and that she had been driving alone.

Wednesday, U.S. Park Police said in a news release that Rahim was the vehicle's passenger, and that 24-year-old Carlos Joel Alonso of Maryland had been the car's driver.

Alonso has been charged with negligent homicide, the news release states. Park Police said he left the crash scene before emergency responders arrived and was found several hours later at the Columbia Island Marina, which is off George Washington Parkway near Interstate 395.

"Basically, there was a crash, and Alonso was not on the scene, so it was unknown there was another person in the vehicle," Sgt. Lelani Woods told Patch. "He did show up at the marina hours laters with injuries, and he was dazed and confused, so he was taken to the hospital. It wasn't determined until later on there was a connection between him and the crash on the bridge."

Alonso turned himself in to authorities on Tuesday, the release states. He went before a Superior Court Judge in Washington, D.C., surrendered his passport and was released.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 13.

It's unclear whether Alonso was taken into custody in October, and a Park Police spokeswoman did not immediately respond to requests for clarification.