Andrew Turner, 18, of Festus was killed and his passenger sustained moderate injuries in a one-car crash early Saturday (Sept. 3) in Crystal City.
At about 3:44 a.m., Turner was driving a 2010 Nissan Altima southbound on Truman Boulevard and attempted a high-speed right turn toward Sixth Street in Festus, just past the BP station at the intersection.
The vehicle struck a concrete barrier head-on that encases controls for the traffic light at the intersection.
Crystal City Police Chief Chad Helms said Turner apparently was attempting a “drift” turn, similar to what cars use on racetracks.
Helms said the vehicle caught fire and that Crystal City Patrolman Curtis Pullen used a fire extinguisher to put out the blaze and then assisted Jefferson-Plattin Ambulance District personnel in pulling the passenger to safety.
Helms said emergency personnel determined that Turner had not survived the crash.
The Jefferson County Medical Examiner’s Office will perform an autopsy, Helms added.
The blaze reignited, Helms said, and was put out the second time by the Crystal City Fire Department.
Turner’s passenger, an 18-year-old Festus man, was transported to Mercy Hospital Jefferson in Crystal City with moderate injuries, Crystal City Police reported.
Helms said Herculaneum Police seized evidence from the vehicle that they believe was connected to a burglary earlier that morning at a Herculaneum gas station.
Herculaneum Police Chief Mark Tulgetske confirmed that “alcohol and an ice cream” from the Phillips 66 at 1501 Commercial Blvd. were found in the Altima.
Herculaneum Police had responded to an alarm there at 3:38 a.m. and found a window on the south side of the building and a door broken out.
“The officer found evidence of a break-in outside – broken bottles and some canned beer on the lot that probably came from the burglary as well,” Tulgetske said.
While the officer and an officer from Festus who had been dispatched investigated the scene, a call came in about the fatal accident.
“The passenger was later interviewed at the hospital and admitted that they had broken into the Phillips 66,” Tulgetske said.
Tulgetske said warrants will be sought against the passenger for second-degree burglary, a class D felony punishable by up to four years in prison.