Police detained Nguyen Bao Hoang, 31, on Wednesday for investigation on charges of “violating road traffic regulations.”

According to authorities, Hoang was responsible for the accident that killed a 50-year-old woman and her 72-year-old mother at the scene, seriously injured a 30-year-old man, and damaged several motorbikes.

Police are still verifying whether he was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash.

Hoang said he purchased the Jeep Sahara last year from a bar owner in the city for around VND2 billion (US$76,730). The ownership transfer has not yet been completed, so the car is still under the previous owner’s name.

In his initial statement, Hoang said that on Sunday afternoon, he had been drinking with friends at a pub in Binh Tan District. That evening, he left the pub in his Jeep and was driving along Kinh Duong Vuong Street.

At around 6:30 p.m., while approaching the intersection with Sinco Street, he attempted to overtake a passenger bus when the Jeep suddenly went out of control. It crashed through the steel median barrier, entered the motorbike lane, and struck several motorbikes from behind.

A police officer stands next to a damaged Jeep after it crashed into multiple motorbikes in HCMC, June 15, 2025. Photo by Read/Dinh Van

“I noticed the car seemed to have an issue but could not tell what the fault was. Everything happened so fast,” he said.

The vehicle then mounted the sidewalk, dragging one motorbike under its chassis for over 50 meters.

The mother and daughter from Tan Binh District died at the scene, while a 30-year-old man was seriously injured.

Hoang said he panicked and fled the scene, calling a friend to pick him up. That night, he traveled to Dong Thap Province in southern Vietnam.

After learning from news reports that the crash had resulted in fatalities, he turned himself in the next morning at a police station in Dong Thap.

On Monday, HCMC police traveled to Dong Thap and brought him back to the city for questioning.

Preliminary findings confirmed that the Jeep was at fault for crashing through the median and causing the chain-reaction collision.

At the scene, the Jeep’s front end was heavily damaged, with a broken front axle and a detached wheel found far from the vehicle. Debris and tire marks stretched nearly 100 meters along the road.