Portland police say three teens were struck while walking along Warren Avenue near Interstate 95, including one 13-year-old who was killed.
Author: Drew Peters
Published: 7:10 PM EDT September 14, 2026
PORTLAND, Maine — A 13-year-old boy, identified as an 8th grader at Scarborough Middle School, was killed. Two other teenagers were seriously injured after they were struck by a vehicle while walking along Warren Avenue in Portland over the weekend.
The Portland Police Department said officers responded shortly before 9 p.m. to a report of a crash involving a vehicle and three pedestrians near the Interstate 95 overpass.
Police said the teens were walking on the north side of Warren Avenue toward Riverside Street, an area that does not have a sidewalk.
According to the department’s initial investigation, a 48-year-old Portland driver was traveling in the same direction when three of the teens appeared to have “entered the road abruptly” and were struck.
The 13-year-old boy died at the scene. Two other teens, ages 14 and 15, were taken to Maine Medical Center with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
The crash remains under investigation.
Karen Myska, who works at a nearby business, said she was closing up for the night when she heard emergency vehicles arriving.
“There were already a couple cop cars, and a couple ambulances,” Myska said.
The fatal crash is now prompting renewed calls for pedestrian safety improvements in Portland.
City Councilor Wes Pelletier said the death, along with two other reported pedestrian deaths in Portland in 2026, demonstrates the need for the city to invest in safer streets.
“Parents should feel safe saying, ‘yes, you can get from here to there’ and not think their kid is going to die,” Pelletier said.
Pelletier is calling for additional spending on lighting, traffic-calming measures and infrastructure for pedestrians and bicyclists.
“There are unintended consequences of organizing all of our traffic, roads, and infrastructure for cars, and we’re seeing the human cost of that,” Pelletier said.
Portland Mayor Mark Dion said the city is working toward those goals through its Vision Zero project.
“The intended goal of Vision Zero is to reduce and hopefully get down to zero fatalities in a community, in terms of traffic events,” Dion said.
Dion said Portland is adding things like traffic signals and speed cameras in high-risk areas as well as working with police on stricter enforcement of traffic violations.
“Cyclists, pedestrians, and motorists have to respect each other’s presence, and be intentional and careful,” Dion said.
Several teens were involved in the incident, with three being hit by the vehicle. In a message to families, staff at Deering High School said three of the teens are students at the school. Staff at nearby Scarborough Middle School later identified the 13-year-old who was killed as an 8th-grade student.
“He would be best described as a friendly, fun-loving person with a big personality and someone who enjoyed time with his friends, playing soccer and basketball,” Superintendent Dian Nadeau wrote about the boy in a message to families.
Nadeau said the middle school ran on a modified schedule Monday to ensure there was time for students to learn what happened and begin processing the incident.
“Throughout the day and into the week, counselors will be available to meet with any students and help them process their feelings, as we understand that a loss of this magnitude may also bring up feelings of other losses that people have previously incurred,” Nadeau wrote.
Dion said that while the discussion about how Portland can make its roads safer is critical, the immediate focus should remain on the teens and their families.
“But for today, I want people to recognize, this is about humanity, and somebody lost their child,” Dion said.