Loose tires from a tractor-trailer struck the roof of his Chevrolet Bolt on Interstate 64.
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Ray Hartmann, a longtime St. Louis journalist, media founder and former congressional candidate, died April 23 after loose truck tires struck his car on Interstate 64, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Hartmann, 73, was one of the region’s best-known media figures. He founded the Riverfront Times, helped revive St. Louis Magazine and spent decades as a panelist on “Donnybrook,” the Nine PBS public affairs program. His death left colleagues, family members and readers mourning a sharp voice who moved between journalism, politics and civic life for nearly 50 years.
The crash happened at 2 p.m. April 23 on eastbound Interstate 64 west of Interstate 270, the patrol report says. Hartmann, of Richmond Heights, was driving a 2023 Chevrolet Bolt. A 2020 Volvo VNL, also headed east, lost two left-side tires from a towed unit. The tires struck the concrete median, became airborne and hit the roof of Hartmann’s car, the report says. The tires traveled through the roof and struck Hartmann. West County EMS and Fire took him to Mercy Hospital St. Louis, where Dr. Charles Caffrey pronounced him dead at 2:05 p.m.
The patrol report lists the Chevrolet as totaled and says it was towed by Terry’s Towing. The report lists the Volvo as having extensive damage and says it was driven from the scene by its owner. The truck driver was listed only as a 64-year-old man from McVille, North Dakota. His name was not listed in the public report. The report says both drivers were wearing safety devices. It does not say whether the truck driver knew the tires had come loose before troopers located or contacted him. No charges or citations had been announced in the public report.
Hartmann’s wife, Kerri, was at Mercy Hospital after the crash, according to family attorney and longtime friend Andy Leonard. Leonard said doctors told the family that Hartmann did not respond to efforts to save him. “We’d like to thank the police officers who came to the scene and the doctors and staff at Mercy Hospital,” Leonard said. He said Hartmann is survived by Kerri and their children, Ben and Brielle. The family asked for privacy after the crash, while friends and former colleagues began publishing remembrances of Hartmann’s work and life.
Hartmann founded the Riverfront Times in 1977, when he was in his 20s. The paper grew into an alternative weekly known for aggressive local reporting, politics coverage and commentary. He later sold the publication and helped build St. Louis Magazine, where he worked as publisher and columnist. He also co-created “Donnybrook” in 1987 and became one of the show’s defining panelists. Nine PBS called him “a cornerstone of St. Louis journalism” and said he rarely missed a week at the roundtable. The station said his role helped make the show one of the region’s most recognized local public affairs programs.
Before his long media career, Hartmann wrote speeches for Republican Christopher “Kit” Bond. Later, he became known as a liberal voice in St. Louis political debate. In 2024, he stepped away from “Donnybrook” and retired from journalism to run as a Democrat for Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District. He won the Democratic primary, then lost the November general election to Republican U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner. Official results showed Wagner with 233,444 votes, or 54.5%, and Hartmann with 182,056 votes, or 42.5%. After the campaign, he continued writing online and worked in fundraising consulting for nonprofit groups.
Former “Donnybrook” panelist Charlie Brennan said he had seen Hartmann almost weekly for decades and described their bond as close. “We were kind of like brothers,” Brennan said. Other colleagues remembered Hartmann as a forceful editor, a mentor and a person willing to challenge powerful people in print and on television. St. Louis Magazine owner Matt Coen said Hartmann’s work as an entrepreneur, First Amendment defender and civic participant shaped local journalism. Friends also noted his work with civic and disability rights groups, including the Starkloff Disability Institute.
The crash added to concern about rare but deadly road debris incidents in the St. Louis region. First Alert 4 reported that a loose tire crossed a median on Interstate 44 in July 2023 and killed 38-year-old Emily Ludwig after crashing through a windshield. In Hartmann’s case, the highway patrol’s public report identifies the crash as a fatality investigation handled by Trooper D. Gillespie and the Major Crash Investigation Unit. The report gives the main official account of the crash, but it does not explain why the tires detached from the towed unit.
The crash review remained with the Missouri State Highway Patrol as of the latest public report. Hartmann’s death also continued to draw tributes from local journalists, public television viewers and readers who followed his work from the Riverfront Times to “Donnybrook” and the 2024 campaign.
Author note: Last updated April 29, 2026.