Photo: © Rick Elkins / Moment / Getty Images
A high-speed police chase spanning three states ended in a fiery crash, resulting in the death of two teenagers and an alleged kidnapper. The pursuit began in Iowa after a woman reported a domestic assault and kidnapping incident involving her infant child at the Grape Community Hospital in Hamburg, Iowa. The woman claimed that the man, described as "suicidal and homicidal," had kidnapped her and her child in Nebraska, driven to Iowa, and left her at the hospital before fleeing with the baby.
The Iowa State Patrol initiated a vehicle pursuit of the man, who was driving a Kia Sorento at high speeds and attempting to run into troopers. The chase continued into Missouri, where the man collided with a 2013 Ford Focus traveling in the northbound left lane on Interstate 29. The impact caused the Ford to swerve past a 2024 Volvo semi-truck, which then hit a 2023 Chevy Tahoe Fremont County patrol vehicle to avoid the crash.
The two 18-year-olds in the Ford Focus were pronounced dead at the scene. The collision caused the Kia Sorento, with the one-year-old baby inside, to burst into flames. A Fremont County deputy managed to rescue the infant from the burning vehicle. The baby was airlifted to a hospital in Omaha with non-life-threatening injuries. The man, however, died in the crash.
Randy Pogue, the mayor of Kearney, Missouri, expressed his condolences to the families of the two teenagers killed in the crash. The deputy who was struck by the semi-truck was treated for minor injuries and released. The Missouri State Patrol is currently investigating the collision.