Man killed when speeding Mercedes hits tree, catches fire in East St. Louis
A speeding motorist died when the car he was driving struck a tree and burst into flames in East St. Louis early Tuesday.
St. Clair County Coroner Calvin Dye said the male victim was pronounced dead at the scene at 3809 Lake Drive at 6:04 a.m. His identity has not been released.
East St. Louis Police spotted a 2003 gray Mercedes Benz traveling east in the 3100 block of State Street about 4:10 a.m..
The driver continued driving recklessly, while speeding onto Lake Drive toward Cahokia Heights, according to a release from East St. Louis police.
It said the man struck the tree and his vehicle continued into the woods nearby.
East St. Louis Fire Chief Jason Blackmon said an officer called to report that the car was on fire at 4:19 a.m. He said it took firefighters about an hour to put the fire out.
This story was originally published August 17, 2021 at 1:49 PM.
