Victims ID’d After Monday Night East Baton Rouge Crash Leaves 3 Dead

EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH, LA. (THECOUNT) — Three people are dead in Louisiana following a single-vehicle crash Monday night on River Road in the Gardere area of southern East Baton Rouge Parish, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office reported. Zacariah Johnson and Marquis Duncan Jr. were among the victims identified by authorities. A third victim, a 30-year-old man, also died, but his name has not been released pending notification of next of kin.

Johnson was 20 years old. Duncan Jr. was 15 years old. The third victim was 30 years old.

According to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, the crash occurred at approximately 8:40 p.m. on Monday, April 6, on River Road south of Gardere Lane. A vehicle was traveling northbound on River Road when, for reasons still under investigation, it failed to navigate a curve, left the roadway, and struck a utility pole. Two of the three victims were pronounced dead at the scene. The third was transported to a hospital in critical condition, where he died several hours later.

Investigators said speed may have been a factor in the crash. Toxicology results are pending. The East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation.

River Road runs along the east bank of the Mississippi River levee through southern East Baton Rouge Parish, connecting the Gardere area to the parish’s southern boundary. The Gardere community is an unincorporated census-designated place in the southern portion of the parish, bordered to the west and northeast by the city of Baton Rouge proper. The crash scene — on River Road south of Gardere Lane — sits near the L’Auberge Casino and Hotel on the Mississippi River, a regional landmark accessible via Gardere Lane off Louisiana Highway 30.

Following the crash, the St. George Fire Department reported that River Road was shut down from L’Auberge Crossing to the parish line. Drivers were directed to take alternate routes. The road closure affected a stretch of River Road that runs through one of the more rural and riverfront sections of East Baton Rouge Parish.

East Baton Rouge Parish is Louisiana’s most populous parish, home to approximately 460,000 residents. Baton Rouge, the parish seat and Louisiana’s state capital, anchors the parish and sits along the eastern bank of the Mississippi River in the southeastern part of the state. The parish is located approximately 80 miles northwest of New Orleans and 30 miles east of the Atchafalaya Basin. Interstate 10 and Interstate 12 intersect within the parish, making it the state’s primary transportation hub.

The Gardere community, where the crash occurred, is located in the southernmost portion of East Baton Rouge Parish and had a population of approximately 10,500 as of the 2010 census. The area is also informally known as Riverland and sits roughly 8 miles south of downtown Baton Rouge. Louisiana State University’s main campus is located just north of the Gardere area along Nicholson Drive, which extends into the River Road corridor.

River Road is a two-lane undivided highway in this section of the parish, running along the top of the Mississippi River levee. The road is known for its curves and limited lighting in certain stretches, and passes through a mix of residential areas, agricultural land, and casino and hotel development near the river.

The identities of all occupants of the vehicle have not been fully released. It is not known how many total occupants were in the vehicle at the time of the crash, nor has the make or model of the vehicle been released by investigators.

The approximate location of the crash on River Road south of Gardere Lane in East Baton Rouge Parish can be viewed on Google Maps.

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