1 Killed, 1 Hurt After Crashing Vehicle Into 2 Trees In St. Paul; Drugs Or Alcohol Believed To Be A Factor

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The St. Paul Police Department says a driver and passenger needed to be extricated from a vehicle after a crash early Tuesday morning. The passenger was pronounced dead at the scene. Now, drugs or alcohol are believed to be a factor in the crash.

According to police, officers responded at 2:36 a.m. to the area of Sycamore Street East and Jackson Street on the report of a single-vehicle crash. There, officers found the vehicle up against a tree, near Oakland Cemetery.

St. Paul fire crews extricated both the driver and passenger. The passenger, an adult male, was pronounced dead at the scene. The adult male driver was taken to Regions Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Police say a preliminary investigation has determined that the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed, going eastbound on Sycamore, when it left the roadway and struck a tree on the southside of the road. The vehicle then careened north across Sycamore and struck a second tree. That's where the vehicle came to rest, east of Jackson Street.

A search warrant was drafted to obtain a blood sample from the driver, because drugs or alcohol are believed to be a factor in the crash, according to police.

The Ramsey County Medical Examiner will release the deceased man's identity after family notification.