Inset: Alex Ray Kisch (Ramsey County Sheriff's Office). Background: The area where Kisch allegedly struck and killed a pedestrian in Minn. (Google Maps).
A 36-year-old Minnesota driver is accused of fatally striking a pedestrian and fleeing the scene, heading to a nearby McDonald's drive-thru for food.
Alex Ray Kisch was taken into custody shortly after the crash and charged with one count of criminal vehicular homicide for allegedly causing a collision that killed a pedestrian and leaving the scene, court records show.
According to a probable cause affidavit, police responded at 2:25 a.m. Sept. 20 to Viking Drive and Lillehei Plaza in Little Canada regarding a report of a person lying motionless in the road.
Upon arriving, first responders found a 58-year-old man, identified in the complaint as JDH, lying facedown on the north side of the road. Pieces of a vehicle and what appeared to be the man's groceries were scattered across the roadway, while the victim had an abrasion on the back of his head with a section of hair missing and drag marks on his knees and belt.
Police traced pieces recovered at the scene, including part of a side mirror, to a Nissan Rogue. About two hours later, a Ramsey County sheriff's deputy found a Rogue in the parking garage of the Grand Pre Apartments, where Kisch lived.
The SUV had fresh damage to its front passenger side and mirror, and a body clip missing from the vehicle matched one recovered at the scene. Investigators also found gray hairs on the windshield, hood and grille, as well as about six droplets of blood between the passenger-side doors.
Police also observed "McDonald's food wrappers inside the vehicle," the affidavit says.
Police went to Kisch's apartment at about 6:42 a.m. and noted he smelled of alcohol. He was wearing a wristband from Fulton Brewery and had a stamp on his hand that appeared to be from a bar or club, the complaint states.
After being advised of his rights, Kisch acknowledged owning a 2023 Nissan Rogue but declined to answer questions about damage to the vehicle.
Police then told him he was being arrested for criminal vehicular homicide. From the document:
"Kisch's eyes widened and he asked, 'Homicide? How is that…' Police advised Kisch that a person was hit by his vehicle that evening and was now deceased. Kisch lowered his head and stated, 'That's insane.'"
Surveillance footage provided investigators with a timeline of what happened.
Video showed the victim leaving a Speedway at 1:24 a.m. carrying groceries and walking toward McDonald's. Footage from the restaurant then showed him continuing eastbound through the parking lot and along Viking Drive toward his home.
A short time later, the Rogue that police say belonged to Kisch was captured traveling westbound on Viking Drive and pulling into the McDonald's parking lot. The passenger-side mirror was damaged and hanging from the vehicle as it drove through the restaurant's drive-thru, received the food and left, according to the complaint, which also identified Kisch as the driver.
Surveillance from the Grand Pre Apartments showed Kisch leaving the garage at 2:01 a.m. with an intact passenger-side mirror. When he returned at 2:11 a.m., the mirror was damaged and hanging alongside the vehicle. He then walked around the passenger side before entering his apartment.
A search of Kisch's phone showed he had taken a 10-second video of a DJ at a bar at 12:52 a.m. and paid an Uber driver $29.93 at 1:42 a.m. for a ride from Minneapolis to his home.
Later, while in the Ramsey County Jail, Kisch discussed the crash during recorded calls with acquaintances and his father, the affidavit said.
"I made a bad decision and bad consequences came of it," he told his father, according to the affidavit. "They're saying, they're saying I hit someone and they're deceased now."
Kisch later told his father, according to the affidavit, that he had already been home, had taken an Uber, and then "just went to get some food." He also described the situation as "rock bottom."
An autopsy determined that the victim suffered broken ribs, fractures to his spine, a skull fracture, bleeding in the brain and spinal cord injuries. The medical examiner described the injuries as "catastrophic."
Kisch was booked into the Ramsey County Jail, where a judge ordered him detained on $500,000 bond, records show. It was not immediately clear when he was scheduled to return to court.
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