Who Is Modou Ngom, Driver Charged in Fatal I-71 Crash? What Records Reveal

The 50-year-old Columbus man charged with three counts of aggravated vehicular manslaughter in a fatal Delaware County crash owned his own trucking company, for which he was the only driver.

He had no significant criminal record and while he was involved in a tractor-trailer crash a year ago, he was not cited for that incident. However, in addition to the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Ohio Department of Transportation, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio’s motor carrier division is also now investigating last week’s crash.

On April 11, Modou F. Ngom’s 2006 Freightliner tractor-trailer failed to stop while approaching a traffic backup in a construction zone in the northbound lanes of Interstate 71 near the U.S. 36 and State Route 37 interchange.

Lynnea Soposki, 36 a veterinarian at Muirfield Animal Hospital in Dublin; her husband Luke Soposki, 37; and their 1-year-old baby, Logan, died in the crash, according to the animal hospital.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol said three other people were also injured in the nine-vehicle crash, which occurred at 6:27 p.m. and shut down traffic in both directions on I-71 for several hours.

Here’s a look at what public records tell us about Ngom:

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A spokesperson for the Delaware County Prosecutor said Ngom does not appear to have any criminal history beyond misdemeanor traffic citations. In two prior incidents, Ngom was cited while driving the same 2006 Freightliner tractor-trailer involved in the April 11 crash.

On May 31, 2024, Ngom was ticketed by the Ohio State Highway Patrol in Delaware County for driving an unsafe vehicle. He pleaded no contest to the ticket and paid it.

According to a crash report, the tractor-trailer lost its drive shaft, which struck the undercarriage of a car behind it. The driver of that car was not hurt.

The crash report states that Ngom was “operating defective equipment” and the crash was caused by “cargo or equipment loss or shift.”

Ngom was also involved in a crash while driving a tractor-trailer in April 2025, but the crash appeared to be weather-related and he was not cited.

On April 29, 2025, Ngom was driving a tractor trailer on State Route 814 in Union Township, Champaign County. The trailer was empty, and high winds caused the tractor-trailer to roll on its side, according to a crash report.

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Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno said in a post on X that Ngom was a Somalian who became a U.S. citizen 10 years ago.

The Dispatch has been unable to confirm this independently.

A spokesperson for the Delaware County Prosecutor said she was unable to confirm or deny Moreno’s claim. She said Ngom appears to be a U.S. citizen, but did not have any information beyond that.

In court records requesting bond for Ngom, the Delaware County Prosecutor did not include any information about Ngom’s “jurisdictional residence,” or where he legally resides. Publicly available court records do not say whether Ngom is an immigrant.

The Delaware County Sheriff’s office said no immigration holds had been placed on Ngom, who remained in their custody at the county jail on April 14 on charges of aggravated vehicular homicide.

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