Two Marquette University student athletes were killed and four other students injured Sept. 5 in a two-vehicle collision that not only ruptures the first month of the school year, but adds a tragic exclamation point to concerns about hazards on Milwaukee streets.
Scott Michaud, 19, and Noah Snyder, 20, were killed in the crash at around 5 p.m. at North 27th Street and West St. Paul Avenue, not far from Marquette’s campus, according to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Both were members of the men’s lacrosse team, the university said on its Golden Eagles Facebook page. Three of the four who sustained nonfatal injuries also were lacrosse student athletes. They were taken to a local hospital and treated for their injuries, according to the university.
A Mass for the Marquette community was held Saturday afternoon at Varsity Theater on campus. Prior to the Mass, the marquee on the theater was changed to say: OUR HEARTS ARE WITH YOU MEN’S LAX TEAM.
The Lunda Room and Henke Lounge in the Alumni Memorial Union also were made available for campus community support on Saturday afternoon.
All home athletic events were canceled for the weekend.
Michaud’s hometown was Springboro, Ohio. Before coming to Marquette, he went to Springboro High School, a suburban public school south of Dayton. On the Marquette lacrosse website, he was listed as a goalie who was a three-star recruit.
Snyder’s hometown was Irving, N.Y. Before coming to Marquette, he went to Westtown School, a Quaker, coeducational, college preparatory day and boarding school located in West Chester, Penn. On the Marquette lacrosse website, he was listed as a valuable offensive contributor who played the attack position.
Milwaukee police said a 41-year-old driver who collided with the vehicle carrying the students had been arrested. No charges were filed as of Saturday, pending review by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office.
Students on campus the morning after the crash said they were shocked by the news.
Grant Locker, a sophomore and member of the soccer team, said he learned about the crash in his dorm hours after it happened. The thought of his peers experiencing such tragedy on a typical Friday night, he said, was heartbreaking.
Locker and others mentioned they were aware of reckless driving in the area.
“It’s definitely a concern,” Locker told the Journal Sentinel. “You’re just trying to hang out with your friends, and then something terrible like that happens.”
Gabby Kaczwka, a sophomore, said she learned about the crash while out with friends, after her mom sent her a screenshot of the article and urged her to be safe.
“It’s really heartbreaking to see that people weren’t being safe on the road and it cost these students their lives,” Kaczwka said.
Marquette University President Kimo Ah Yun, in a Sept. 6 statement, asked the community to keep the victims’ families in their prayers.
“Such a loss is difficult to comprehend, and I know that the coming days will be difficult for our community,” he said.
As of Sept. 5, at least 39 people have died in crashes in Milwaukee this year, according to police, which is down about 25% from the year prior.
However, Milwaukee has been wrestling with complaints of reckless driving, speeding, pedestrian safety, and police pursuits. Most recently, illegal street takeovers, in which drivers perform dangerous stunts before cheering crowds, have been drawing attention.
Just last month, two Milwaukee legislators introduced a bill to make available $60 million for traffic calming infrastructure to fight reckless driving across the state.
Statewide, there were 138 fatal reckless driving related incidents and 2,084 injuries from over 5,600 crashes throughout Wisconsin in 2024, according to the state transportation department.  
This is a developing story. Updates will be provided as soon as they are available.
Drake Bentley contributed to this report.
This story was updated to add a video.  

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