A driver was found dead Sunday morning at the Port of Baltimore’s South Locust Point Terminal after his black Nissan Maxima went through a closed gate, struck a concrete post and erupted into flames.

The Maryland Transportation Authority Police on Monday said the victim was a 51-year-old Baltimore man.

MDTA police officers and the Baltimore City Fire Department responded to the terminal in the 2000 block of East McComas Street shortly before 5 a.m. Sunday.

Fire engines arrived on the scene to quickly extinguish the fire, said Kevin Cartwright, a spokesman for the Baltimore Fire Department. But police said the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

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“The preliminary investigation suggests the Nissan was traveling at a high rate of speed when it left the roadway and struck the marine terminal’s gate and fencing,” MDTA police said in a news release Monday.

No other details on the driver were immediately available.

The South Locust Point Terminal is operated by the Maryland Port Administration, according to the agency’s website. MDTA police led an on-site investigation of the incident.

MDTA police said the investigation is ongoing, and asked anyone who witnessed the crash to call 410-633-1130.

Penelope Blackwell

penelope.blackwell@thebaltimorebanner.com

Penelope Blackwell

Penelope Blackwell is a Breaking News reporter with The Banner. Previously, she covered local government in Durham, NC, for The News & Observer. She received her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Morgan State University and her master’s in journalism from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism.

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