May 1, 2025:
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The driver of a car that barreled through a building used for a popular after-school camp in central Illinois, killing three children and a teenager, was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol and may have had a medical emergency, police said Thursday (May 1, 2025).
No decisions have been made on whether to file charges against the 44-year-old driver, Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly said at a news conference. The driver is not in custody, Kelly said.
Evidence that she may have had a medical emergency was “not conclusive” and the investigation is ongoing, Kelly said.
The car went off the road Monday, crossing a field and smashing into the side of the building in Chatham used by Youth Needing Other Things Outdoors, also known as YNOT. It traveled through the building, striking people before exiting the other side.
Six other children were hospitalized. Four of them remained hospitalized, including one in critical condition, a state police spokesperson said after Thursday’s news conference.
Those killed were Rylee Britton, 18, of Springfield, Ainsley Johnson, 8, Kathryn Corley, 7, and Alma Buhnerkempe, 7. All of the children were from Chatham, a community of about 15,000 outside the Illinois capital of Springfield.
The driver was not injured but was taken to a hospital for evaluation after the crash, Kelly said. She voluntarily submitted blood and urine samples that tested negative for drugs and alcohol, he said.
“Some evidence has been developed indicating the possibility of a medical emergency leading up to the crash,” Kell said. “However, the investigation of this information and other evidence has not yet concluded and will continue until all leads and research have been exhausted.”
He would not elaborate on the possible health issue or say what evidence investigators have indicating a medical emergency may have occurred. He also would not say whether the driver was conscious and alert when emergency responders reached her.
Security camera footage showed the vehicle was “a substantial distance” away when it left the roadway, said Jamie Loftus, founder of YNOT Outdoors. It crossed the field, a road, the sidewalk and YNOT’s parking lot before crashing through the building “with no apparent attempt to alter its direction,” Loftus said earlier this week. The vehicle then crossed a gravel road and crashed into a pole and fence.
Kelly said the vehicle traveled more than 1,300 feet (396 meters) but would not elaborate and also would not say how fast the vehicle was moving.
He said he could not provide a timeline for completing the investigation and said charges, if appropriate, would be up to the Sangamon County state’s attorney.
April 30, 2025:
CHATHAM, Ill. (AP) — Residents of a small central Illinois city are mourning the loss of three children and a teenager who were killed in a startling vehicle collision in a building that hosts a popular after-school camp. Authorities say it appears the crash Monday (April 28, 2025), in which a car barreled through the building in Chatham, was not a targeted attack. Illinois State Police say the 44-year-old driver is not in custody. She was not injured but was taken to a hospital for evaluation, and toxicology reports are pending. Chatham is about 12 miles from the state capital, Springfield.
April 28, 2025:
CHATHAM, Ill. (AP) — A car smashed through a building Monday afternoon (April 28, 2025), 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.”
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.”
Comments