14-year-old passenger dies when stolen car crashes in St. Paul; 2 teens arrested

A 14-year-old boy died and two other teens were arrested after the stolen vehicle they were riding in crashed in St. Paul's North End on Monday night, authorities said.

Police identified the teenager Tuesday as Eh Da Lay of St. Paul.

Officers spotted the stolen Toyota Camry on Maryland Avenue around 5 p.m. Monday and were set to pull it over when the driver sped away. St. Paul police declined to pursue, per the department's policy.

The car struck another vehicle at the intersection of E. Rose Avenue and W. Ivy Avenue and fled the scene, said police spokesman Steve Linders. Minutes later, officers spotted the Camry again on the corner of Rose and Sylvan, where it struck a light pole and flipped on its side.

Lay was thrown from the car and found lying in the street gravely injured. Officers rendered aid and medics took him to Regions Hospital in critical condition. He was transferred to Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare, where he died overnight.

Two other teens in the vehicle fled after the crash. Investigators arrested the 16-year-old driver a few blocks away. A second 14-year-old passenger was found hiding, without shoes, between dumpsters in a nearby alley, police said. He was booked on probable cause possession of controlled substances charges after officers discovered pills in his pocket.

A man reported the Camry stolen last Friday morning, telling police he'd left the car running momentarily as he stepped away to speak with someone. When he turned around, someone had started driving away.

The crash marks the second such fatality this fall.

In October, three young teenagers were killed when the stolen vehicle they were riding in slammed into a tree following a police pursuit through north Minneapolis. The car had been taken by force from a 72-year-old woman earlier that day.

Liz Sawyer • 612-673-4648