Anthony Nelson, a senior business student at Bethel University, died Monday night in a fatal one-car crash near campus, according to a campus-wide email and Ramsey County public information officer Roy Magnuson. 

Magnuson said at about 10:45 p.m. Monday, Nelson veered into a ditch on County Road E2 West and Old Snelling. He struck a utility pole and crashed into a tree, causing power lines to fall and spark on top of the car.

Magnuson said the Lake Johanna fire department pulled Nelson from the car and started CPR before he was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center. Several hours later, dispatchers were told he died. 

In a campus-wide email, Vice President of Student Life William Washington wrote Nelson was returning to Bethel Monday, where he was living for the summer. According to the email, Nelson was an accounting and finance double-major who played basketball and football at Bethel. He was also involved in the Bethel Business and Economics Association. 

“We encourage you to take time to process this difficult news with your friends and classmates,” Washington wrote. “Staff members from Student Life and Christian Formation and Church Relations will be available throughout the week if you want to pray or talk through this together.”

Visitation will be held from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday at Cornerstone Church in Austin, Minnesota. The funeral service will follow at 2 p.m.

Burial will be at the Danish Baptist Cemetery. Instead of flowers, his family requests that donations be made to a charity.