Two Killed in Wrong-Way Crash on I-95 in Maine Involving Stolen Car

A terrifying wrong-way crash on Interstate 95 in northern Maine claimed the lives of two people Monday night, October 12, 2026, according to Maine State Police.

Authorities say the incident began around 9:21 p.m. when the Bangor Regional Communications Center received a report of a vehicle traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of I-95 near Island Falls.

State troopers began responding to the area, but the vehicle continued traveling in the wrong direction.

At approximately 9:38 p.m., an officer with the East Millinocket Police Department spotted the vehicle near mile marker 248, still heading south in the northbound lanes at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour.

The officer turned around and attempted to stop the driver, but the vehicle continued at a high rate of speed.

According to investigators, the wrong-way driver eventually entered a construction zone on a bridge in Medway, just south of Exit 244.

Due to ongoing construction, northbound and southbound traffic were sharing the northbound bridge, separated by concrete barriers.

Police say the wrong-way vehicle entered the northbound lane and collided head-on with another car.

Both drivers were killed in the crash.

Maine State Police identified the wrong-way driver as 20-year-old Luis Mendoza of Indian Township. The driver of the second vehicle was identified as 67-year-old Sandra Lacombe of Medway.

Both were the sole occupants of their respective vehicles.

During the initial response, Houlton Police notified authorities about a 2011 Toyota Camry that had reportedly been stolen from the Hannaford parking lot in Houlton.

Investigators later confirmed the wrong-way vehicle involved in the deadly collision was the stolen Camry.

The crash forced a section of Interstate 95 to close for several hours Monday night.

Maine State Police say the crash remains under investigation.