The coroner has released the identity of a 20-year-old man who was killed after he fled from police at a high rate of speed and crashed into a utility pole, causing his car to roll over in Harvard.
Harvard Police Chief Tyson Bauman said a police officer on patrol around 12:02 a.m. last Wednesday attempted to conduct a traffic stop.
The officer had witnessed the dark-colored sedan disobey a stop sign at the intersection of South Park Avenue and Route 14.
The vehicle proceeded northbound on Route 14 and disregarded a traffic control device at the intersection with Route 173 while accelerating rapidly, Bauman said.
The officer, who had been traveling southbound, turned around to stop the vehicle.
Bauman said the officer briefly lost sight of the vehicle as it crested the Route 14 viaduct bridge over the railroad tracks.
The officer completely lost visual contact near the intersection of Route 14 and Route 173.
The officer continued northbound and initiated a traffic stop on a dark-colored sedan at the intersection of Route 14 and Crowley Road.
The officer determined this was not the offending vehicle after speaking with the driver, Bauman said.
Two other Harvard officers, who were responding as backup, struck a low-hanging metal braided utility guy wire over the roadway in the 1500 block of North Division Street.
Both squad cars sustained damage but no officers were injured, Bauman said.
A search of the area led to the discovery of a broken utility pole and a black 2000 Mustang, which was approximately 100 feet off the roadway rolled over in a heavily wooded area.
Bauman said the vehicle contained a single occupant, a 20-year-old man, who was pronounced dead at the scene by the Harvard Fire Protection District.
McHenry County Coroner Dr. Michael Rein identified the man on Tuesday as Oskar Hernandez Martinez Jr., 20, of Harvard.
Rein said preliminary findings show blunt force trauma as the cause of death for Martinez Jr. Toxicology results are pending.
Harvard resident Viridiana Lugo, who is a family member of Martinez Jr., said the man was a “beloved member of our community, a loyal friend, and a light to all who knew him.”
“He touched many lives with his kindness, generosity, and unbreakable spirit,” Lugo said.
The Major Crash Assistance Team (MCAT) was activated to investigate the incident, which led to an hours-long road closure in the area.
The Harvard Police Department also requested assistance from the McHenry County Major Investigations Team (MIAT).
A funeral service for Martinez Jr. was set for Wednesday afternoon at Saunders and McFarlin Funeral Home in Harvard and a funeral mass is set for Thursday morning at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Harvard.
A GoFundMe account to help the family pay for Martinez Jr.’s funeral expenses has raised nearly $10,000.