Three men, ages 18–19, were treated for nonfatal injuries and arrested after the wreck near North 68th Street, police said.
MILWAUKEE, WI — A sport-utility vehicle stolen on Christmas Eve crashed and caught fire around 3 p.m. on Thu., Dec. 25, on Milwaukee’s northwest side, leading to three arrests and hospitalizations, authorities said. No other injuries were reported after the SUV struck a car, a parked vehicle and a tree.
Police said the crash matters now because it caps a two-day sequence that began with a driveway theft and ended with a dramatic fire that neighbors filmed from their porches. Investigators are referring criminal charges to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office while they review how the suspects obtained the vehicle, the route it took before the collision and whether additional thefts in the area are connected. The owner, a local café operator, said the loss was a financial blow during a holiday week when her family discovered the car missing and other vehicles rifled. Officials emphasized that the men taken from the SUV to the hospital are expected to survive.
Police said the wreck unfolded near North 68th Street and Fiebrantz Avenue shortly after 3 p.m. The SUV failed to yield at a stop-controlled intersection and collided with a sedan traveling through, then continued into an unoccupied parked vehicle and a roadside tree. The force of the final impact ignited the SUV. Neighbors rushed outside after hearing a boom; one witness described flames shooting several feet into the air. “Luckily they got the young guys out,” said a neighbor who ran toward the fire moments after the crash. The woman in the struck sedan later brought her children to a hospital to be evaluated. Responding officers and firefighters cordoned off the block while crews doused the burning SUV and checked for leaking fluids.
According to police, two 18-year-old men and a 19-year-old man were inside the SUV. All three were transported for treatment of nonfatal injuries and later taken into custody. Investigators said preliminary information indicates the vehicle had been reported stolen the previous day from a driveway near 27th Street and State Street. The owner, identified as Baboonie Tatum, said she recognized her vehicle from videos posted online showing the fire’s aftermath. “I work hard. I don’t bother anybody. For somebody to take something that I work hard for — it’s frustrating,” Tatum said. Police said the sedan’s occupants were not critically hurt, and no bystanders were injured. The department did not immediately release the suspects’ names pending charging decisions.
Tatum said her daughter discovered the theft on Wed., Dec. 24, when the family noticed the SUV gone and two other vehicles on the property ransacked, with wrapped gifts opened inside. She said the cars had been locked and none of the windows broken. Tatum believes thieves used a device that can program or spoof key fobs to access and start newer-model vehicles. She owns Rise and Grind Café on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and said losing a primary vehicle during the winter complicates staffing and deliveries. Neighbors near 68th Street said drivers often roll through the stop at Fiebrantz and that the block has seen multiple crashes over the years, especially on weekends and holidays when traffic is lighter but speeds are higher.
As of Fri., Dec. 26, police said the case remained an active, standard follow-up. Detectives are reviewing video from residents and canvassing the route the SUV may have taken between the time of the theft and the crash. Officers recovered the burned vehicle for processing and will examine airbag modules and onboard data to estimate speed and braking. Investigators are also checking whether the three men pulled from the SUV were involved in the reported Christmas Eve theft. Police said referrals to prosecutors will include counts related to operating a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent and potential traffic violations tied to the intersection crash. Charging decisions could come as early as next week, depending on evidence review and medical records for those injured.
Witnesses who arrived moments after the collision described a chaotic but focused response as neighbors used phone flashlights and shouted to keep distance from the flames. A mother in the sedan told reporters another driver “ran a stop sign” and hit her car as she headed to a Christmas gathering with her children; she said they later sought a medical check. A second neighbor said she could feel the heat from the fire at the curb. Tatum, standing beside a scorched tree where the SUV burned, said friends have offered rides while she works to replace the vehicle. The charred bark and melted debris remained on the parkway into the evening as firefighters and tow operators cleared the scene and reopened the block.
Police said the investigation is ongoing and that they will forward charges to prosecutors after collecting additional statements and securing any available footage. As of Sat., Dec. 27, the three suspects remained under arrest with nonfatal injuries. The next formal update is expected after prosecutors review the case file early next week.
Author note: Last updated December 27, 2025.