Vehicle smashes through Illinois building, killing 4 young people and
injuring others
[April 29, 2025]
By JOHN O'CONNOR
CHATHAM, Ill. (AP) — A car smashed through a building Monday afternoon,
killing four young people and injuring several others during an
after-school program in a small city outside of Springfield, Illinois,
police said.
Officers responded at about 3:20 p.m. to calls about a vehicle ramming
through the building, fatally hitting four people before exiting the
other side, Chatham Police Department Deputy Chief Scott Tarter said.
Those killed were between the ages of 4 and 18, Illinois State Police
said in an emailed statement. Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon
identified the victims as “female students,” saying their identities
will be released after family members are notified. Several other people
were hurt and taken to hospitals.
It wasn’t immediately known what led up to the crash or whether it was
intentional.
Monday's crash is the latest instance of people driving vehicles into
groups of people across the globe. Only two days earlier, a car plowed
through a crowded street during a Filipino heritage festival in
Vancouver, British Columbia, killing 11.
The Illinois driver, who was uninjured, was the sole occupant of the
vehicle and was taken to a hospital for evaluation, Tarter said. Police
haven't said if the driver was arrested or taken into custody.
“I am horrified and deeply saddened by the deaths of children and
numerous injuries in Chatham this afternoon," Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker
said in a statement. “My heart is heavy for these families and the
unimaginable grief they’re experiencing – something that no parent
should ever have to endure.”
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Police block a road leading to a building where a car smashed
through during an after-school program, killing several people and
injuring others, Monday, April 28, 2025, in Chatham, Ill. (AP
Photo/John O'Connor)
He said his office was monitoring the situation and was ready to
lend support.
The struck building and facilities house Youth Needing Other Things
Outdoors, which holds after-school programs and summer camps,
according to its website.
As evening fell, police cars with lights flashing still blocked
streets leading to the building. On its Facebook account, the
Chatham Police Department asked for prayers.
“A terrible tragedy has occurred here that has affected all of us,”
the message ended.
By Monday night, some members of the community and beyond had
changed their Facebook profile photos to an image of a red ribbon
and the words “Chatham Strong.”
___
Associated Press reporter Lisa Baumann contributed to this report
from Bellingham, Washington.
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