A Bethel University football and basketball player died in a single-vehicle crash Monday night near the Arden Hills campus.
Anthony Nelson, a senior accounting and finance and business double major, was returning to campus about 10:45 p.m. Monday when he went into a ditch along Old Snelling Avenue, said Roy Magnuson, a spokesman for the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office.
Nelson struck a tree and a utility pole and knocked down power lines. Members of the Lake Johanna Fire Department extracted him, administered CPR and took him to HCMC, where he later died, Magnuson said.
"Please keep Anthony's family and friends in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time," said an e-mail sent to students by William Washington, vice president for student life at Bethel. "A time for prayer and worship will be held early in the fall semester in memory of Anthony."
Nelson, 22, of Blooming Prairie, Minn., had a job lined up after graduation in 2020. He was involved in the Bethel Business and Economics Association and led Bible studies on campus. He also enjoyed biking, cooking and reading books while lying in his hammock, according to his online obituary.
"Anthony was a vibrant young man with a zeal for life and adventure. … He loved to travel and fish with his dad in Canada," the obituary read. "Anthony loved his friends and family with a love so big that everyone that knew him could feel their importance."
Nelson is survived by his parents, Brian and Lois Nelson of Blooming Prairie, and two sisters.
Services are scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at Cornerstone Church in Austin, Minn.
