Teen pedestrian killed in crash on Highway 61 in Maplewood

A teenage boy is dead after a car hit him early Monday morning on U.S. Highway 61 in Maplewood.

The Minnesota State Patrol confirmed the crash happened around 5:45 a.m. in the area of Minnesota Highway 36 and U.S. Highway 61.

According to a State Patrol crash report, a Kia Sportage was headed south on Highway 61 when it hit the pedestrian, 17-year-old Heriberto Severino-Luna of Maplewood. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver, a 30-year-old Maplewood man, was unharmed.

The State Patrol is investigating. No word on what caused the crash.

According to the 511 system, southbound lanes of US 61 were temporarily closed between Beam Avenue and Highway 36 due to the crash from roughly 6 a.m. until about 8:45 a.m. Although County Road C was open across Highway 61, drivers weren’t able to turn onto the southbound lanes.