Cause of Fatal After-School Crash in Illinois Still Unclear

Four female students were killed when car rammed through building
Posted Apr 29, 2025 6:32 AM CDT
Cause of Fatal After-School Crash in Illinois Still Unclear
Police block a road leading to a building where a car smashed through during an after-school program Monday, April 28, 2025, in Chatham, Ill.   (AP Photo/John O'Connor)

Accidental or deliberate? The question remained unanswered Tuesday morning after a car smashed through a building hosting an after-school program in the small Illinois town of Chatham.

  • Authorities say four female students between the ages of 4 and 18 were killed, reports NBC News. Three of them were struck while standing outside the building.
  • Several others were injured, including one person who was airlifted to a hospital.

  • The driver appeared to be uninjured and was still undergoing evaluation at a hospital, per the AP. The person has not been identified, and no charges have been filed. No one else was in the vehicle.
  • The car struck a building housing Youth Needing Other Things Outdoors, entering through its east wall and exiting through its west wall, reports the Washington Post.
  • "I am horrified and deeply saddened by the deaths of children and numerous injuries in Chatham this afternoon," said Gov. JB Pritzker in a statement. Chatham, near Springfield, has a population of about 15,000 (The deaths come just days after a car rammed into festival-goers in Vancouver, killing 11.)

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