16-year-old charged with manslaughter 2 years after Hybla Valley hit and run

A 16-year-old is charged with manslaughter two years after crashing a stolen car in Northern Virginia, killing a man, Fairfax County Police said.

James Johnson, 63, of Hybla Valley, was killed in a crash on March 10, 2024.

The teen was driving a stolen 2015 Hyundai Sonata at a “high rate of speed,” sideswiped a car, then plowed into a dumpster at an apartment complex on Janna Lee Avenue, police said.

Johnson, who had been walking through the Creekside Village Apartment complex in Hybla Valley, was struck, News4 reported. Police found Johnson, and he was taken to a hospital, but he later died.

Those who knew Johnson said he was the type of person who made his family stronger and his community a better place.

“Everyone loved him. He was my ride or die. He was with me every day. He loved helping the community, and I just got on his last nerves every day,” the victim’s niece, Keesha Johnson, said. “You know, you wake up the next day, not expecting your loved ones to be gone.”

The family pleaded for help finding the driver who hit their loved one.

The night of the crash, the suspect fled the crash and was seen running away between two buildings, police said.

Police searched the area after the crash, but could not find the suspected driver.

The teen is now being held at the Fairfax County Juvenile Detention Center, charged with manslaughter, felony hit and run and receiving stolen property.

Johnson’s family grieved his death as police continued their search weeks after the suspect’s escape.

“He was the kind of person that would help you if you needed it. He’d give you the shirt off his back. He was a kind and loving man,” Johnson’s sister, Sharon Gbenoba, told News4 a month after Johnson’s death.

Johnson, a Fairfax County resident, was known for helping neighbors with painting and other jobs. Johnson would sometimes do odd jobs in the Hybla Valley neighborhood, where he also had many friends.

Detectives are asking anyone with information about the incident to call 703-280-0543.