Chicago, IL – Illinois State Police have arrested a Chicago Heights man in connection with a deadly crash on Interstate 57 that left one passenger dead earlier this month.
According to Illinois State Police, 20-year-old Demitreau Ross of Chicago Heights was taken into custody Thursday, January 23, following an investigation into a two-vehicle crash involving a stolen car on I-57 southbound near 167th Street on January 29.
ISP officials say troopers responded to the crash after receiving reports of a stolen vehicle involved in the collision. Three passengers were inside the vehicle at the time of the crash. Police say one passenger was ejected during the incident and later died from their injuries.
Following a multi-day investigation, Special Agents with the ISP Division of Criminal Investigation Zone 1 identified Ross as the alleged driver of the stolen vehicle. Authorities say Ross was located and taken into custody without incident.
Ross has been charged with two counts of reckless homicide (Class 2 felonies), two counts of failure to report a crash resulting in death (Class 1 felonies), and one count of criminal trespass to a motor vehicle (Class A misdemeanor).
ISP investigators presented the case to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, which approved the charges. Ross is currently being held pending his first court appearance. No additional court details were immediately available.
Police emphasized that the charges are not evidence of guilt. Ross is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The crash occurred along a heavily traveled stretch of I-57 that connects Chicago’s South Side to southern Cook County, often seeing high commuter and commercial traffic volumes.
This article was produced by a journalist and may include AI-assisted input. All content is reviewed for accuracy and fairness.
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