Minnesota Man Kills Pedestrian in Hit-and-Run, Then Orders McDonald's Drive-Thru

Alex Ray Kisch, 36, allegedly struck and killed a 58-year-old man in Little Canada before driving to a nearby McDonald's. He faces one count of criminal vehicular homicide.

Hit-and-run suspect drove to McDonald's after fatally striking pedestrian in Little Canada

A 36-year-old Minnesota man allegedly killed a pedestrian in a hit-and-run crash early on Sept. 20, then pulled his damaged SUV through a nearby McDonald's drive-thru before returning home — where police arrested him hours later smelling of alcohol.

Law & Crime reports that Alex Ray Kisch has been charged with one count of criminal vehicular homicide in connection with the death of a 58-year-old man identified in court documents as JDH.

According to a probable cause affidavit, officers responded at 2:25 a.m. to Viking Drive and Lillehei Plaza in Little Canada after a report of a person lying motionless in the road. First responders found the victim face-down on the north side of the roadway. Pieces of a vehicle and what appeared to be the man's groceries were scattered across the pavement; 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.

Investigators traced vehicle parts recovered at the scene — including a fragment of a side mirror — to a Nissan Rogue. Roughly two hours after the crash, a Ramsey County sheriff's deputy located a matching SUV in the parking garage of the Grand Pre Apartments, where Kisch lived. The vehicle showed fresh damage to its front passenger side and mirror, and a body clip recovered at the scene matched one missing from the Rogue. Investigators also documented gray hairs on the windshield, hood and grille, along with approximately six droplets of blood near the passenger-side doors. McDonald's food wrappers were visible inside the vehicle, the affidavit states.

Police visited Kisch's apartment at approximately 6:42 a.m. He smelled of alcohol, wore a wristband from Fulton Brewery and had a stamp on his hand consistent with a bar or club visit, according to the complaint. After being advised of his rights, Kisch acknowledged owning a 2023 Nissan Rogue but declined to answer questions about the damage.

When officers informed him he was being arrested for criminal vehicular homicide, the affidavit describes his reaction: "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 assembled a detailed timeline. Video from a nearby Speedway showed the victim leaving the store at 1:24 a.m. carrying groceries and walking toward McDonald's. Footage from the restaurant then captured him continuing eastbound through the parking lot along Viking Drive in the direction of his home.

Shortly afterward, a Rogue identified by police as Kisch's was recorded traveling westbound on Viking Drive before pulling into the McDonald's parking lot — its passenger-side mirror already damaged and hanging from the vehicle. The car proceeded through the drive-thru, received an order and departed.

Apartment garage surveillance corroborated the sequence. At 2:01 a.m., Kisch was shown leaving the garage with an intact mirror. He returned at 2:11 a.m. with the mirror damaged and hanging. He then walked around the passenger side of the vehicle before entering his apartment.

A review of Kisch's phone placed him at a bar in Minneapolis at 12:52 a.m., when he filmed a 10-second video of a DJ. At 1:42 a.m., records showed he paid $29.93 to an Uber driver for a ride from Minneapolis back to his home — a trip that would have brought him along the route where the victim was struck.

While held at the Ramsey County Jail, Kisch discussed the incident during recorded calls with acquaintances and his father. "I made a bad decision and bad consequences came of it," he told his father, according to the affidavit. In a separate portion of the call, he said he had already returned home by Uber and then "just went to get some food." He described his situation as "rock bottom."

An autopsy found the victim had suffered broken ribs, spinal fractures, a skull fracture, and bleeding in the brain and spinal cord. The medical examiner characterized the injuries as "catastrophic."

Kisch was booked into the Ramsey County Jail. A judge ordered him held on $500,000 bond. Court records did not immediately indicate his next scheduled court appearance.

Source: Law & Crime