The sheriff says the search continues for a vehicle that fled after fatally striking a 15-year-old boy from behind as he and another teenager rode their bicycles near Crystal Lake Wednesday.
The Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department and McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded around 9:34 p.m. Wednesday to Terra Cotta Road and Deering Oaks Lane in unincorporated Crystal Lake for a vehicle crash with injuries.
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 they were performing lifesaving measures.
A LifeNet medical helicopter was placed on standby but canceled.
The 15-year-old boy was transported to Northwestern Medicine Hospital in McHenry where he was pronounced dead, according to the sheriff’s office.
The mother of the victim told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that it was her oldest son who died.
She 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 said a preliminary investigation shows that 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 driver of the vehicle did not stop and fled the scene, the sheriff’s office said.
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, were 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.
Sheriff’s deputies reported that the suspect vehicle was possibly a Jeep Wrangler based on evidence from the scene, but sheriff’s officials later said that they were not looking for that type of vehicle.
The sheriff’s office said additional information is expected to be released later on Thursday as the investigation progresses.
No one was in custody in connection with the incident as of Thursday morning, sheriff’s officials said.
The McHenry County Coroner’s Office has not officially released the identity of the victim.