‘He was a loving father’: Community mourns Silver Spring man, 28, killed in Saturday morning collision

Mercedes left roadway, struck a tree along New Hampshire Avenue

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July 28, 2026 10:05 a.m. | Updated: July 28, 2026 10:11 a.m.

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John William Stacey, 28, of Silver Spring has been identified as the man who died early Saturday morning in a single-vehicle crash on New Hampshire Avenue, according to a Monday news release from Montgomery County police. 

Police said that Stacey was driving a gray 2010 Mercedes northbound on the 11800 block New Hampshire Avenue at about 4:39 a.m. Saturday morning when his vehicle struck a median near Tracy Drive and then left the roadway, striking a tree. 

“He was a loving father…[and] a great friend,” Stacey’s girlfriend, Julieta Quinonez, told Bethesda Today through tears. He “was always quick to help others when they were in need.”

Quinonez said that Stacey had been out playing pool at a co-worker’s house and was about seven minutes away from his home. 

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A GoFundMe was set up Monday to help with Stacey’s funeral and burial expenses with any remaining funds going to his son, John Stacey II, who will turn two years old on Aug. 13. 

The GoFundMe was organized by Quinonez, who told Bethesda Today that their son can best carry on his father’s legacy by “following in his footsteps by caring for others and loving people.” 

As of Tuesday morning, the GoFundMe has raised a little more than $600 of its $16,000 goal. 

Police said the investigation is ongoing and may take several weeks or months to complete.

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According to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) radio transmissions, it took an estimated 10 to 15 minutes to extricate Stacey from the car. 

Stacey was unconscious when he was transported to Suburban Hospital in Bethesda as a priority 1 patient, according to MCFRS radio transmissions. A priority 1 patient is defined by state medical protocols as someone who is “critically ill or injured person requiring immediate attention; unstable patients with life-threatening injury or illness.”

According to police, Stacey had life-threatening injuries to his head and was later pronounced dead. 

New Hampshire Avenue was closed between Nora and Heartfields drives until 10:30 a.m. Saturday morning, according to a post on social media by police. 

Anyone with information about the collision is asked to contact the Collision Reconstruction Unit at 240-773-6620.

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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine