Child, 7, dies in two-vehicle crash near Auke Lake on Christmas Eve

Section of Glacier Highway closed for more than three hours; cause of accident remains under investigation, according to JPD

Police block Glacier Highway near the Auke Lake boat ramp after a two-vehicle collision on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (Photo by Nate Vallier)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

A 7-year-old child died in a two-vehicle collision on Glacier Highway near Auke Lake on Wednesday afternoon, according to the Juneau Police Department.

A 911 call was received about the collision at about 1:30 p.m., according to a Juneau Police Department press release.

"Initial reports indicated that two vehicles were involved in the collision, and some of the occupants were pinned inside the vehicles, and a young child passenger was unconscious," the release states. Emergency services responded to the crash and extricated multiple people from vehicles. The unconscious passenger, a 7-year-old child, was transported to the hospital."

The child subsequently was pronounced dead, JPD Chief Derek Bos stated in an email to the Juneau Independent on Wednesday evening.

"The cause of the accident remains under investigation, with JPD's major accident reconstruction team (JMART) leading the investigation," he wrote.

The roadway was closed from Pederson Hill area to the Auke Bay roundabout. The northbound lane was still closed as of about 3:30 p.m., according to JPD. Both lanes were reopened shortly before 5 p.m.

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.