A fiery overnight crash over the weekend in St. Paul killed a passenger whose driver is suspected of drunken driving, officials said Wednesday.
The single-vehicle wreck occurred about 3:25 a.m. Sunday at Arlington and Prosperity avenues on the city’s East Side, police said.
Officers arrived at the scene and saw a vehicle on the grass engulfed in flames. The front-seat passenger, 26-year-old Qiara “Keke” Gleason of St. Paul, was trapped inside and declared dead at the scene, police said.
The driver, 30-year-old Ralohn L. Hare of St. Paul, was outside the vehicle when officers arrived, police said.
She was taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul with a leg injury.
“The driver was cooperative with officers and provided a statement,” police said in response to a request for details about the crash. “The driver attempted to help the victim to get her out of the vehicle but was not able to.”
Police said Hare was hospitalized as of Wednesday afternoon and could face charges of criminal vehicular homicide related to her being suspected of drunken driving.
Police were given court permission to collect Hare’s blood to test for intoxication. Those results are pending.
