Virginia Man ID'd In Fatal Jeep Crash On I-81 Near Hershey: PA State Police (UPDATE)

A Virginia man has been identified as the passenger killed in a crash that closed part of Interstate 81 in Central Pennsylvania on Sunday, Sept. 29, Pennsylvania State Police announced in a release on Tuesday, Oct. 1.

Utkarsh Munjal, 23, originally of Jalandhar, India but more recently of Arlington and Manassas, Virginia, USA, has been named as the victim of the deadly crash that happened on I-81 North at mile marker 77.5 near Hershey over the weekend, according to PA State Police and his social media.

During the rain, a 2021 Jeep Wrangler going north on the interstate crossed over the grassy median into oncoming traffic, around 6:06 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 29, according to Pennsylvania Department of Transportation spokesperson Fritzi Schreffler and Pennsylvania State Police.

The Jeep struck a guide rail, rolling down an embankment, and landing on its roof, PSP Harrisburg Trooper Ryan Dehaven explained in a release on Monday, Sept. 30.

The 23-year-old driver and a 21-year-old backseat passenger, also from Virginia, were taken to Hershey Medical Center with moderate injuries, Dehaven wrote in the release.

I-81 North was closed at Exit 77: PA 39 - Manada Hill/Hershey and Exit 80: PA 743 - Grantville/Hershey, according to PennDOT's 511PA.

The interstate reopened around 11 p.m., Schreffler told us.

Details about Utkarsh Munjal's life and funeral were not immediately available. His family can share that information with Daily Voice by emailing jpikora@dailyvoice.com.