State looking into alleged drunk and high group home van crash
Michael Edward Rahja Jr.
(St. Louis County Jail)
DULUTH, Min. – The court case is moving forward against the group home employee accused of crashing a group home vehicle while drunk and high. The state is also looking into what happened.
Court documents say Michael Edward Rahja, Jr told law enforcement that he had been puffing on a 80% THC vape all night prior to the crash. Those same court documents also say a “preliminary breath test conducted in the field reveals a result of 0.228 blood alcohol concentration.” The 19-year-old Rahja also is alleged to have told law enforcement that he was smoking THC cigars earlier in the night before the crash.
A statement from the Minnesota Department of Human Services to FOX21 said, “DHS has received information about this incident and is reviewing it in accordance with our normal practices. Due to data privacy laws, we are unable to provide any further information at this time.”
Minnesota Department of Human Services licenses group homes.
An employee from Sevita, the parent company of TBI Residential & Community Services, says Rahja was employed by the company.
The St. Louis County Attorney’s Office asked for bail to be set at $75,000 for Rahja. In asking the judge for that bail the St. Louis County Attorney’s Office wrote, “The Defendant’s choices are also proving a pattern which is of great concern especially at such a young age.”
In December of 2023 he was ticket by the State Patrol for driving 74 miles-per-hour in a 50 miles-per-hour zone. Then in July of 2025 he was ticketed by the State Patrol for driving 85 miles-per-hour in a 65 miles-per-hour zone. The charging document also says Rajha is currently facing charges for Underage Drinking and Driving and DWI. Those charges then lead to his license being revoked at the time of the crash.
Rajha is slated to be back in court on December 2, 2025 for an Omnibus Hearing.
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The initial probable cause report alleges Rajha was driving residents from a group home. One resident was about 60-years-old the resident, the other was about 28-years-old.
The crash happened at around 6:00pm on November 6, 2025. The report says “multiple eyewitnesses called 911 to report dangerous driving” by Rahja. Witnesses say Rahja was driving “upwards of 100 miles an hour in and out of the driving lane, passing cars”.
One of the group home passengers said they had been driving for two hours. The report says they almost rear-ended other vehicles, “Those rear end collisions were only stopped by the safety feature the van had that automatically applied the brakes prior to a collision.”
The crash happened when Rahja allegedly veered into oncoming traffic to pass a car, Rahja allegedly saw another vehicle coming towards him, then veered back into the proper lane of traffic and crashed into the vehicle he was trying to pass.
The person in that vehicle had to be extracted from it by the Duluth Fire Department.
Rahja was driving a 2024 Chrysler Voyager minivan.
Rahja is facing four charges from this incident. Felony Criminal Vehicular Operation – Great Bodily Harm – Gross Negligence; Felony Traffic Collision – Driver Fail to Stop – Injury or Death; Misdemeanor Operate Motor Vehicle after License Suspension/Revocation/Cancellation; and Misdemeanor Liquor-Consumption by persons under 21.
