A driver has been charged with DUI and reckless homicide in a fiery crash into a tree that killed an 11-year-old and a 16-year-old, who were both brothers, in Lindenhurst last year.
A Lake County grand jury returned a 21-count indictment on Wednesday charging Adrian Tiscareno, 21, of Wadsworth.
Tiscareno was charged with 10 counts of aggravated driving under the influence causing a crash resulting in death, six counts of reckless homicide and five counts of aggravated driving under the influence causing a crash resulting in bodily harm.
The charges stem from a double fatal single-vehicle crash that the Lake Villa Fire Protection District and Lindenhurst Police Department responded to around 11:37 p.m. on July 5, 2024, in the 1700 block of Grand Avenue in Lindenhurst.
Then-Lindenhurst Police Chief Thomas C. Jones said an Acura TL sedan was traveling eastbound on Grand Avenue.
The Acura left the roadway east of Prospect Drive and struck a tree, resulting in a fire.
Lindenhurst police officers arrived on the scene and found the Acura to be engulfed in flames, Jones said.
Officers attempted to extinguish the fire. They also found four occupants trapped inside the vehicle.
The Lake Villa Fire Protection District arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire, Jones said.
Paramedics discovered that two of the victims had died at the scene from their injuries.
Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek identified those victims as Alonso Tiscareno, 11, of Wadsworth, and Antony Tiscareno, 16, of Wadsworth.
They were both brothers. Banek said autopsies performed showed both boys died from blunt force injuries in the crash.
Adrian Tiscareno, who was the driver, and a 20-year-old Beach Park man, who was a passenger, were transported to an area hospital in critical condition.
No other vehicles were involved in the crash.
Maria Espinoza, who is the aunt of the Tiscareno boys, called the incident “a tragedy” and said that one of the surviving occupants in the car was a third brother of the two who died.
“My sister is devastated and needs all of our support,” Espinoza said at the time.
An obituary for the two children said they left behind a large amount of family who will “miss them dearly.”
“Words cannot describe the immense pain they leave us with. Their laughs, their smiles and simply their presence will be something we will never overcome,” the obituary said.
Antony Tiscareno was entering his junior year of high school and had been looking forward to graduating and obtaining his driver’s license.
Alonso Tiscareno was described as timid and shy growing up but turned out to be the “life of the party.”
“They both enjoyed playing video games and would spent endless hours playing with their siblings. Our lives without them will never be the same and will be remembered forever,” the family said in their obituary.
The Lindenhurst Police Department and Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team (MCAT) investigated the incident.
Court records allege Adrian Tiscareno was driving under the influence at the time of the crash.
An arrest warrant has been issued for him following the grand jury charging him on Wednesday, court records show.
In May 2022, Adrian Tiscareno was arrested by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office for possessing an AR-15 rifle while he was already out on bond for being caught with a gun inside the Dave and Buster’s in Vernon Hills.