On September 21, 2025, around 4:45 P.M., officers arrived at a personal injury crash near 46th Street East and 46th Avenue South in Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota. Dispatch notes relayed that a white Ford Taurus bearing MN license plate NVY 142 had gone over the median at a high speed and struck a road sign, which in turn struck a motorcyclist. The suspect vehicle had continued driving toward Saint Paul. On arrival, officers observed a large and bent metal pole that had been sheered from the concrete median separating east and west traffic on 46th Street East.
Near the metal pole, an officer located a road sign that had previously been attached to the bent metal pole. In addition, an officer saw long scraping patterns along the middle median which appeared consistent with a vehicle veering from the road while traveling east. Officers identified an injured adult male (“Victim”), who had a heavily bandaged arm that required transportation to the hospital. Witness 1 told officers that he and Victim [NAME REDACTED] on 46th Street East after crossing the Ford Bridge from Saint Paul.
As Witness 1 and Victim approached 46th Avenue South, Witness 1 saw a white Ford sedan traveling at a high speed. The Ford veered from the road, drove onto the median, and struck a road sign. After the Ford struck the road sign, Victim [NAME REDACTED] from the road sign debris. Witness 1 saw the Ford continue driving east while fleeing the area. Witness 2 saw the crash occur and saw the Ford continue driving. Witness 2 informed officers that the involved Ford appeared disabled on the side of the road further ahead on 46th Street East.
Based on information from Witness 2, officers located a white male standing next to a white Ford Taurus with a license plate matching the information from the 911 call. Officers did not see anyone else near the vehicle. Officers noted burnt blunt tips in the vehicle’s center console, along with the odor of burnt marijuana emanating from the open driver’s window. The Ford had front-end damage and a specific spot on the passenger side of the front bumper that appeared to have collided with a cylinder object or pole.
Officers identified the male outside the Ford as Defendant JOHN REILLY STUPKA, born on [DOB REDACTED]. While speaking with Defendant, officers observed that he had a sluggish stature, a slight slur to his speech, watery eyes, and the strong odor of a consumed alcoholic beverage on his breath. Defendant told officers that his vehicle had become disabled and that he had recently attended a Minnesota Vikings game at U. S. Bank stadium. Defendant acknowledged that he had consumed two beers before driving.
Defendant initially denied that his vehicle had been involved in a crash, claiming instead that the vehicle had simply stopped working. When confronted with the fact that witnesses had identified his vehicle in a crash, Defendant admitted to veering from the roadway and striking a road sign in the median. Defendant stated that he did not stop after the collision and continued driving east on 46th Street East. Defendant claimed that he did not see anyone injured in the area before driving away. Defendant agreed to perform standardized field-sobriety tests.
