MSP Investigating Crash on the Turnpike

On Monday, July 29, 2024, at approximately 1:24 PM, the Maine State Police responded to a crash southbound on the Turnpike at mile marker 65 in Gray south of the New Gloucester tolls. The initial investigation has determined that the driver of a 2019 white Ford 150 was traveling southbound when the driver, 39-year-old Robert Padilla of Waterville used the medium to pass the vehicle in front of him. As he was passing the vehicle, a 2025 black GMC 1500, Padilla cut back into the passing lane clipping the GMC. The driver of the GMC suffered minor injuries. Padilla’s Ford 150 went off the road and into a ditch before it came to rest. Padilla then fled from the vehicle crossing southbound and northbound traffic before coming back across the southbound lanes where he ran into the woods. A K-9 team from the Cumberland County Sherrif’s Office arrived and located Padilla after a quick track. Padilla was transported to the hospital for an evaluation. Charges are pending.