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Cary, Johnston County

Johnston County: Cary driver seriously hurt after Highway Patrol chase ends on N.C. 210

WRAL and JoCo Report both cite troopers on a Thursday night Tesla chase. They disagree on the crash street, whether he was ejected, and whether the car burned.

DevelopingOfficials are still releasing information. We update this story as facts are confirmed.

By Triangle Local Newsroom · Published

People gathered on the lawn at Downtown Cary Park

File photo: DowntownCaryPark (CC0), via Wikimedia Commons.

What we know

Confirmed

  • The N.C. State Highway Patrol tried to stop a black Tesla on Interstate 40 in Johnston County around 10 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, for alleged reckless driving. The driver did not stop.Confirmed by N.C. State Highway Patrol, as reported by WRAL (Oct. 23) and JoCo Report (Oct. 23)
  • JoCo Report, citing that agency, put the start at about 10:11 p.m. near mile marker 317 and said the Tesla kept going east on Interstate 40, then left onto N.C. 210 East.Confirmed by N.C. State Highway Patrol, as reported by JoCo Report (Oct. 23)
  • JoCo Report identified the driver as Khizr Ahmad Kazmi, 23, of Cary. WRAL also used the last name Kazmi and described him as a Cary man.Confirmed by JoCo Report, Oct. 23, 2026; WRAL, Oct. 23, 2026
  • JoCo Report, still citing troopers, wrote that the Tesla ran off the right side of N.C. 210 near Lassiter Pond Road, struck a ditch culvert, overturned several times, and that he was ejected. WRAL placed the wreck near N.C. 210 and Langdon Farms Drive, wrote that he lost control and the car flipped, and said he was removed from the car.Confirmed by JoCo Report, Oct. 23, 2026; WRAL, Oct. 23, 2026
  • WRAL's lede called it a fiery crash. JoCo Report did not mention a fire.Confirmed by WRAL, Oct. 23, 2026; JoCo Report, Oct. 23, 2026
  • Both accounts said he had serious injuries. JoCo Report wrote that troopers gave aid until EMS arrived, that he was taken to WakeMed in Raleigh, and that no troopers or other motorists were hurt. WRAL wrote that he was taken to a hospital with serious injuries.Confirmed by JoCo Report, Oct. 23, 2026; WRAL, Oct. 23, 2026
  • Both writeups, citing troopers, said he was not wearing a seat belt and that speed and alcohol are believed to have been factors.Confirmed by N.C. State Highway Patrol, as reported by WRAL (Oct. 23) and JoCo Report (Oct. 23)
  • JoCo Report wrote that the Tesla traveled at speeds exceeding 100 mph before it left the road.Confirmed by N.C. State Highway Patrol, as reported by JoCo Report (Oct. 23)
  • Both lists of charges include felony fleeing to elude arrest, driving while impaired, reckless driving, failure to heed lights and siren, speeding 140 mph in a 70 mph zone, possession of an open container of alcohol, failure to stop for a stop sign or traffic light, driving left of center, failure to maintain lane control, and failure to wear a seat belt.Confirmed by N.C. State Highway Patrol, as reported by WRAL (Oct. 23) and JoCo Report (Oct. 23)
  • JoCo Report wrote that troopers obtained those warrants and will serve them when he is released from the hospital. WRAL wrote that he was charged with the same list.Confirmed by JoCo Report, Oct. 23, 2026; WRAL, Oct. 23, 2026
  • A check of the N.C. Department of Public Safety press-release feed Friday afternoon found no matching Highway Patrol release for this crash.Confirmed by NCDPS press-release feed, fetched Oct. 23, 2026

Alleged or reported

  • The Tesla's driver was traveling recklessly on Interstate 40 when the trooper first tried to stop the car.The N.C. State Highway Patrol, as reported by WRAL and JoCo Report. Reckless driving is among the charges; it is not a finding of guilt

Still unknown

  • Whether the car caught fire
  • Whether he was ejected or taken from the vehicle
  • Whether the crash was at Lassiter Pond Road or Langdon Farms Drive
  • Whether the warrants have been served
  • His condition at WakeMed
  • A written Highway Patrol account we can quote

What this means for you

Roads
WRAL and JoCo Report describe a late-Thursday wreck on N.C. 210 after a chase that began on Interstate 40 near mile marker 317. We have not found a DriveNC event we can quote. Check DriveNC or 511 before you travel.
Public safety
Troopers, as reported by both outlets, said speed and alcohol are believed to have been factors. This site is not an emergency service. If someone is in danger, call 911.

Instructions from N.C. State Highway Patrol, as reported by WRAL and JoCo Report

This site is not the N.C. State Highway Patrol or NCDOT. For road conditions, use drivenc.gov or 511. If anyone is in danger, call 911.

What happened

In Johnston County, a Cary man was seriously hurt after a State Highway Patrol chase ended in a late-Thursday crash along N.C. 210.

The Highway Patrol's account, reported Friday by WRAL and JoCo Report, is that a trooper tried to stop a black Tesla for reckless driving on Interstate 40 around 10 p.m. The local paper put the start at about 10:11 p.m. near mile marker 317 and said the car kept going east, then left the interstate onto that state road heading east.

That local writeup named him as Khizr Ahmad Kazmi, 23, of Cary. WRAL also used the last name Kazmi.

The two then split on the wreck. JoCo Report has the Tesla leaving the right side of the highway near Lassiter Pond Road, hitting a ditch culvert, rolling several times, and the driver being ejected. WRAL placed it near Langdon Farms Drive, wrote that he lost control and the car flipped, and said he was removed from the car. WRAL's lede also called the crash fiery; JoCo Report did not mention a fire.

Both described serious injuries. The local account said troopers gave aid until EMS arrived, that he went to WakeMed in Raleigh, and that no troopers or other drivers were hurt. WRAL said a hospital received him.

Authorities in both reports said he had no seat belt on and that speed and alcohol are believed to have been factors. JoCo Report added that the Tesla had been traveling faster than 100 mph before it left the pavement.

The charge lists match. They include felony fleeing to elude arrest, driving while impaired, reckless driving, failure to heed lights and siren, speeding 140 mph in a 70 mph zone, an open alcohol container, failure to stop for a stop sign or traffic light, driving left of center, failure to maintain lane control, and failure to wear a seat belt. The Johnston paper said troopers have the warrants and will serve them when he leaves the hospital. WRAL listed him as charged with those counts.

No Highway Patrol news release we can read turned up Friday afternoon.

What we don't know yet

The public accounts still disagree on whether the car burned, whether he was thrown out, and which named road marks the scene. His condition, and whether those warrants have been served, are also unset.

What happens next

We will update this if the Highway Patrol posts its own account or if a later official record settles those points.

This site is not an emergency service. If someone is in danger, call 911.

Photos

Text-only. No outlet photos are used here.

Why it matters

A Thursday night chase on Interstate 40 ended in a serious crash on N.C. 210 in Johnston County. The two public accounts agree on the stop, the injuries, and the charge list, and they still disagree on the street, a fire, and how he left the car.

Updates

  1. Oct 23, 2026, 4:08 PM

    WRAL and JoCo Report, both citing the Highway Patrol, report a Thursday night Tesla chase from Interstate 40 onto N.C. 210. JoCo Report names Khizr Ahmad Kazmi, 23, of Cary, and says warrants will be served after hospital release. The two accounts disagree on the crash street, a fire, and whether he was ejected.

Sources

  1. SHP: Speed, Alcohol Factors In High Speed Pursuit And Crash (JoCo Report, Oct. 23, 2026: pursuit began about 10:11 p.m. Thursday when a Johnston County trooper tried to stop a black Tesla eastbound on Interstate 40 near mile marker 317 for alleged reckless driving; driver refused to stop, continued east, exited onto N.C. 210 East; speeds exceeding 100 mph; ran off the right side of N.C. 210 near Lassiter Pond Road; struck a ditch culvert and overturned numerous times; Khizr Ahmad Kazmi, 23, of Cary, ejected with serious injuries; troopers gave aid until EMS arrived; taken to WakeMed in Raleigh; no troopers or other motorists injured; not wearing a seat belt; speed and alcohol believed to have contributed; warrants for felony fleeing to elude arrest, driving while impaired, reckless driving, failure to heed lights and siren, speeding 140 mph in a 70 mph zone, possession of an open container of alcohol, failure to stop for a stop sign or traffic light, driving left of center, failure to maintain lane control, and failure to wear a seat belt, to be served when he is released from the hospital. This file does not use the page's file photo.)

    Official sourcePublished by N.C. State Highway Patrol, via JoCo Report · Checked Oct 23, 2026, 4:05 PM

  2. Driver hospitalized after high-speed chase ends in rollover crash in Johnston County (WRAL, posted 8:33 a.m. Oct. 23, 2026: Cary man seriously hurt; lede called it a fiery crash near N.C. 210; Highway Patrol tried to pull over a black Tesla driving recklessly on Interstate 40 around 10 p.m.; Kazmi lost control and the car flipped near N.C. 210 and Langdon Farms Drive; he was removed from the car and taken to the hospital with serious injuries; not wearing a seat belt; speed and alcohol contributing factors; same charge list as JoCo Report. This file does not use WRAL photos or the 'fiery' wording as a confirmed fact.)

    Published by WRAL · Checked Oct 23, 2026, 4:05 PM

  3. N.C. Department of Public Safety press-release feed (no matching Highway Patrol release for the Oct. 22 Johnston County Tesla chase when checked Friday afternoon, Oct. 23, 2026)

    Official sourcePublished by N.C. Department of Public Safety · Checked Oct 23, 2026, 4:05 PM

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