6 people hospitalized after being hit by a vehicle at Ted Drewes on Chippewa

On December 23, 2024By Littum

ST. LOUIS – Several people were struck by a vehicle Sunday night outside Ted Drewes in south St. Louis. At least one person was seriously injured. The incident comes after years of calls for safety measures around the beloved custard stand, with some saying the city has spent far too much time addressing those concerns.

According to one posts on social media of St. Louis Fire Department, six people were taken to area hospitals, one of whom is said to be in critical condition. The fire department initially tweeted that five people had been injured.

Mitch McCoy, spokesman for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, said the accident happened around 20:00 at Ted Drewe’s parking lot. The driver, a 19-year-old man, initially fled and went home, but his family asked him to return to the scene.

McCoy said the youngest victim is 12, while the oldest is in his 70s.

The investigation is still ongoing and more information will be released to the public on Monday, McCoy said.

This is not the first tragedy to happen outside of Ted Drewes.

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In July 2022, Matthew Nikolai was beaten and killed as they cross the street in front of Ted Drewes. A pickup truck hit the CBC high school student first, causing Nikolai to be thrown into the path of another car, which also hit him. Nicholas was 17.

The driver of the other vehicle stopped and remained at the scene to speak with first responders. The driver of the truck, later identified as Jacob Adler, stopped first, got out of his pickup and walked to the scene without identifying himself. Adler then drove immediately after.

Adler was eventually arrested and pleaded guilty in June 2024 to leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and tampering with physical evidence. He was sentenced to five years in state prison.

In October 2024, someone drove their car into a fire hydrant across the street from Ted Drewes. The city quickly erected a protective bollard in front of the hydrant. St. Louis Water Division installed a bollard to protect the hydrant.

In an interview with FOX2Now.com, Rasmus Jorgensen, deputy director of communications for St. Louis mayor’s office that safety improvements would be scheduled between January and March 2025, in Ted Drewes’ offseason.

During that October interview, Jorgensen mentioned the following safety improvements planned around Chippewa Street:

Relocating the entrance to the east car park at Ted Drewes
Construction of a new accessible signalized crossing
Improved lighting for increased visibility
Installation of a new PTZ (Pan-Tilt-Zoom) camera linked to the Real Time Crime Center for increased security
Construction of a new bump-out with bollards and fencing to capture and separate patrons from vehicular traffic in front of Ted Drewes

This is a news story and will be updated.

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