4 children killed when car slams into after-school program in Chatham, Illinois, near Springfield

Four children between the ages of 4 and 18 died Monday when a vehicle plowed into a building housing an after-school program in the central Illinois town of Chatham, state police said.

Illinois state Police said they were called to the YNOT Outdoors Summer and After School Camp, at 301 Breckenridge Rd. in Chatham, after a vehicle crashed into the east side of the building.

The car hit multiple people outside the building before plowing right through it, striking many people inside, state police said. The vehicle exited through the wall of the opposite side of the building.

Several injured people were taken to local hospitals by ambulance and one by a life flight helicopter, police said. They said the driver was not injured but was taken to a hospital for evaluation. 

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said his administration is closely monitoring the situation. 

“As we continue to learn more, please follow the guidance of all local authorities,” Pritzker wrote in a post on X. “Let’s wrap our arms around the community tonight as we receive updates on the situation.”

Chatham Village Trustee Kristen Chiaro posted on Facebook that the Chatham Baptist Church would be the reunification point for families with children at the center. Near the scene, traffic was shut down on Walnut Street between Park Street and Gordon Drive.

Chatham is about 12 miles south of Springfield in Sangamon County. It is not to be confused with the South Side Chicago neighborhood of Chatham.

The investigation into the incident continued Monday night.

Adam Harrington

Adam Harrington is a web producer at CBS Chicago, where he first arrived in January 2006.