A 2-year-old boy in a stroller was killed Thursday afternoon when a pickup truck struck him and the 16-year-old girl pushing him on the shoulder of Hwy. 65 in Itasca County, according to the State Patrol.

The girl was walking south on the highway’s right shoulder near Milepost 188, north of Nashwauk, at 1:17 p.m. when the southbound pickup crossed onto the shoulder and hit them, the patrol said. The pickup then fled the scene.

It was found near Nashwauk by patrol officers and sheriff’s deputies, who arrested the 38-year-old driver. He was booked into the Itasca County jail on suspicion of criminal vehicular homicide involving a hit and run, criminal vehicular operation that caused great bodily harm, and driving under the influence of a controlled substance.

The 2-year-old died at the scene, while the girl was taken to a Duluth hospital with significant injuries, the patrol said. Both were from Nashwauk. Their names have not been released.

STAFF REPORT