A man was found lying in the roadway in the 500 block of County Highway N in the Town of Hudson, Wisconsin, early Sunday morning, and he was pronounced dead at the scene after lifesaving efforts failed. Investigators believe he had been struck by a vehicle, and by Monday a 20-year-old New Richmond woman was in custody as deputies worked to piece together what happened before sunrise.
Emergency dispatchers received a call at about 4:13 a.m. on October 4 reporting a person down in the roadway, according to drydenwire.com. Responders attempted to save the man, but life-saving measures were unsuccessful and he was pronounced deceased at the scene, the outlet reported. As of October 5, officials said they had been unable to identify the man. NBC26 reported that investigators believe the man may have been hit by a vehicle.
Vehicle evidence left behind at the scene led deputies to a residence in the City of New Richmond, the same report noted. There, investigators identified the vehicle's driver as 20-year-old Angelica M. Altena of New Richmond. The Pioneer Press reported that the evidence pointing deputies toward Altena's home came from a 2022 Toyota Camry left at the scene.
Driver Taken Into Custody, Awaiting Charges
Altena was not injured in the crash. She was taken into custody and was awaiting formal charges later on October 5, per the same account from the sheriff's office. The investigation into the crash remained ongoing as of that date, with no further details released about the exact circumstances of the collision.
The St. Croix County Sheriff's Office was assisted at the scene by the Hudson Fire Department, Lakeview Ambulance, the Wisconsin State Patrol and the St. Croix County Medical Examiner, according to the sheriff's office account. Officials said this marks the fourth traffic fatality recorded in St. Croix County so far in 2026.
A Second Wisconsin Hit-and-Run the Same Weekend
The Town of Hudson crash came the same weekend as another fatal pedestrian hit-and-run elsewhere in Wisconsin. A pedestrian was killed shortly after 7:30 p.m. Saturday on Highway 8 at Highway 35 near Centuria in Polk County, according to WEAU. That victim, a 65-year-old man from Luck, was found dead at the scene; investigators believe a westbound driver struck him as he tried to cross the highway and then fled.
In the Polk County case, further investigation led deputies to a vehicle of interest at a home in Burnett County, where one person was taken into custody, WEAU reported. As of the station's report, neither the suspect nor the victim in that case had been publicly identified, and the Wisconsin State Patrol continued investigating. The two cases remain separate incidents under separate jurisdictions, but both reflect a difficult stretch for pedestrian safety in the state this fall.
Back in St. Croix County, officials have not released additional details about the man found on County Highway N, including his identity, pending further investigation. Anyone with information has not been directed to a specific tip line in the available reporting, and the sheriff's office has said the case remains under investigation.
