The mother of a teen expressed deep sadness Thursday after her oldest son was killed by a hit-and-run driver near Crystal Lake Wednesday night.
Jill Laureys said her son, Nicholas, 15, was coming home on his bike from fishing with a couple of friends when a vehicle “hit him and took off from the scene.”
“He was only a block away from his Uncle’s house, where he currently lives,” the mother said in a message to the Lake & McHenry County Scanner Thursday afternoon. “I miss him so freaking much.”
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office released information about the vehicle that fled the scene after fatally striking the teen from behind as he and another boy rode their bicycles at approximately 9:34 p.m. Wednesday.
The teen died while riding his bicycle in the southbound lane of Terra Cotta Road near Deering Oaks Road in unincorporated Crystal Lake, authorities said.
The investigation indicates he was struck from behind by what is possibly a dark colored (red) 2017-2018 Jeep Cherokee, officials said.
McHenry County Sheriff’s Office is asking the public and local body shops and/or dealerships to contact them at (815) 338-2144 if they come across any similar vehicle with front-end damage.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Major Crash Investigation Unit has been working closely with the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office and McHenry County Coroner’s Office since the fatal hit and run at Terra Cotta Road and Deering Oaks Lane in unincorporated Crystal Lake, officials said.
The Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department and McHenry County Sheriff’s Office were called to the roadway for the crash with injuries after a 911 caller reported a juvenile had been struck by a vehicle while riding a bicycle.
The child was initially reported to be unresponsive, and deputies reported he was deceased and performing lifesaving measures.
A LifeNet medical helicopter was placed on standby but later canceled.
The teen was transported to Northwestern Medicine Hospital in McHenry where he was pronounced dead, according to the sheriff’s office.
Jill Laureys said Nicholas Laureys is the oldest of her three children and confirmed the driver who struck her child fled the scene.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Major Traffic Crash Unit responded to conduct a crash reconstruction.
The sheriff’s office stated that a preliminary investigation indicates the 15-year-old boy, along with a second 15-year-old, were riding their bicycles southbound on Terra Cotta Road.
An unknown southbound vehicle struck one of the riders from behind.
The bicycle that was struck had an activated red taillight at the time.
Investigators were seen taking photographs of the scene.
The child’s bicycle, along with the second bicycle, was seen lying in the ditch along Terra Cotta Road.
Terra Cotta Road was shut down between East Hillside Road and Old Westbury Road for several hours and reopened around 2:20 a.m.
No one was in custody in connection with the incident on Thursday, sheriff’s officials said.
McHenry County Coroner Michael Rein said in a news release Thursday that the coroner’s office was contacted by the hospital Wednesday at about 11:00 p.m. to investigate the death of a minor.
Rein said the minor was transported to Northwestern Hospital McHenry after reportedly being involved in a motor vehicle incident while riding a bicycle
Rein did not release the identity of the teen, but said preliminary findings from an autopsy Thursday showed blunt force injuries as the cause of death.
He said toxicology is currently pending.
Rein said the McHenry County Coroner’s Office continues to work with the McHenry County Sheriff and the Crystal Lake Fire Protection District regarding the incident