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Friend Charged 3 Months After Body Found On Mass Pike In Auburn

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — Police say a 23-year-old man has been charged with leaving the scene of a fatal accident in connection with the discovery of his friend's body on the Massachusetts Turnpike over the summer.

Court documents say Samuel Lenihan, of Holyoke, is scheduled for arraignment on Dec. 21 in Worcester.

Authorities say it appears that 22-year-old Johannes Songdahl, of Norwell, jumped from a moving SUV being driven by Lenihan on the westbound Turnpike in Auburn on Aug. 29.

Johannes Songdahl
Johannes Songdahl. (Yearbook Photo)

Songdahl was then struck by multiple cars and died.

mass pike body found auburn
The westbound side of the Pike was backed up for miles after the body was found Aug. 29, 2018. (WBZ-TV)

Police say Lenihan did not stop and witnesses told police he sped away while weaving through traffic. Police say both were under the influence of drugs.

Lenihan told police he thought Songdahl was asleep in the back of the vehicle the whole time.

(© Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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