This image taken from video provided by WCIA shows first responders working the scene after a car smashed through a building during an after-school program, killing multiple people Monday, April 28, 2025, in Chatham, Ill. (WCIA via AP)
Vehicle smashes through Illinois building, killing 4 young people and injuring others
CHATHAM, Ill. (AP) 鈥 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.
Four children were killed and several more were injured when a car smashed through a building during an after-school program Monday afternoon in a town outside of Springfield, Illinois, police said. (AP Video / April 28, 2025)
Four children were killed and several more were injured when a car smashed through a building during an after-school program Monday afternoon in a town outside of Springfield, Illinois, police said. (AP Video / April 28, 2025)
This image taken from video provided by WCIA shows first responders working the scene after a car smashed through a building during an after-school program, killing multiple people Monday, April 28, 2025, in Chatham, Ill. (WCIA via AP)
CHATHAM, Ill. (AP) 鈥 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 鈥渇emale students,鈥 saying their identities will be released after family members are notified. Several other people were hurt and taken to hospitals.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
It wasn鈥檛 immediately known what led up to the crash or whether it was intentional.
Monday’s crash is 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.
鈥淚 am horrified and deeply saddened by the deaths of children and numerous injuries in Chatham this afternoon,” said in a statement. 鈥淢y heart is heavy for these families and the unimaginable grief they鈥檙e experiencing 鈥 something that no parent should ever have to endure.鈥
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.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
鈥淎 terrible tragedy has occurred here that has affected all of us,鈥 the message ended.
___
Associated Press reporter Lisa Baumann contributed to this report from Bellingham, Washington.
