Veteran St. Louis journalist Ray Hartmann dead at 73 after tractor-trailer tires strike his car on Missouri interstate

Ray Hartmann, a fixture of St. Louis journalism for nearly four decades, was killed Thursday afternoon when two tires flew off a tractor-trailer on Interstate 64 and crashed into his vehicle. He was 73 years old.

Hartmann was driving eastbound on I-64 near Interstate 270 in St. Louis around 2 p.m. when the tires went airborne and struck the roof of his car, KMOV reported, citing the Missouri State Highway Patrol. His longtime friend and attorney, Andy Leonard, confirmed the death in a statement.

Leonard told reporters the details were as sudden and senseless as they sound.

"The news covered the accident last night, and I can confirm that Ray was in his car when a tire crashed through his windshield. We believe that he died at the scene."

The investigation into Thursday's fatal crash remains ongoing. No information has been released about the identity of the tractor-trailer driver, whether the tires came from the same axle, or what caused them to detach. Whether anyone else was injured has not been disclosed.

A career that shaped St. Louis media

Hartmann founded both the Riverfront Times and St. Louis Magazine, two publications that became staples of the city's media landscape. In 1987, he co-founded "Donnybrook," Nine PBS's long-running debate program, and spent nearly four decades as one of its most recognizable voices.

His wife, Kerri Hartmann, gave a statement to 5 On Your Side.

"It's such a tragic loss. He was dearly loved. We're going to miss him so much."

The couple's two children, Ben and Brielle, were both away at college at the time of the crash.

Charlie Brennan, Hartmann's longtime friend and the host of "Donnybrook," said the loss leaves a gap that cannot be measured in column inches or airtime alone. Brennan told reporters Hartmann's work was far from finished.

"I think he had books to write, columns to write, causes to champion, and I'm very sorry that he's not going to be around to get to those."

Brennan added simply: "His departure was too soon."

Colleagues remember a man who showed up

Fellow "Donnybrook" panelist Alvin Reid described Hartmann as someone driven not by celebrity but by civic purpose. Reid said Hartmann brought that energy to every broadcast.

"Ray was determined to make a difference in St. Louis. He wanted to make a difference on every show."

Reid also pledged that the program would carry Hartmann's legacy forward.

"As long as we do this show, Ray will be a part of this show and a part of St. Louis."

The weight of the loss was still settling in when Reid spoke. He admitted the finality had not fully registered.

"I really do feel like I'm talking about Ray in the present. I can't believe I'm talking about Ray in the past. That hasn't really hit me yet."

From the newsroom to the ballot

In 2024, Hartmann stepped back from media to run for Congress in Missouri's 2nd District. He won the Democratic primary but lost to incumbent Ann Wagner in the general election. After the race, he returned to the public commentary and journalism that had defined his career.

Whatever one's politics, Hartmann's decades of work earned him a place in St. Louis civic life that few journalists achieve. He built institutions, not just bylines. The Riverfront Times, St. Louis Magazine, and "Donnybrook" all bear his fingerprints. That kind of local media infrastructure matters, especially in an era when so many regional outlets have vanished.

Unanswered questions on the highway

The circumstances of Thursday's crash raise questions that the Missouri State Highway Patrol has yet to answer publicly. The identity of the tractor-trailer's driver has not been released. No explanation has been offered for why two tires separated from the vehicle. Whether the truck was subject to recent safety inspections, or whether the driver was aware of the detachment, remains unknown.

Road debris from commercial trucks is not a new problem. Loose tires, blown treads, and unsecured cargo kill and injure motorists on American highways every year. Proper maintenance and pre-trip inspections are legal requirements for commercial drivers, requirements that exist precisely to prevent tragedies like this one.

Families who lose someone to a preventable highway hazard deserve answers. Taxpayers who share the road with heavy commercial rigs deserve accountability from the companies and drivers operating them. The investigation is ongoing, and the facts will speak for themselves once they arrive. But a man who spent his life holding institutions accountable deserves no less in return.

Ray Hartmann built things that lasted. The least the system owes his family is a thorough accounting of why he's gone.