Authorities say juveniles stole a car and fled from sheriff’s deputies before crashing in Lake Villa, leaving the car engulfed in flames and the three juveniles injured just after midnight on Saturday.
The Lake Villa Police Department issued a regional broadcast over the Illinois State Police Emergency Radio Network (ISPERN) for a white Hyundai sedan that had been stolen in Lake Villa just before midnight on Saturday.
Lake Villa Police Chief Rochelle Tisinai said the Hyundai was parked with the keys inside at an apartment complex in the 100 block of Milwaukee Avenue in Lake Villa.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said the Hyundai was reported to be last seen in the area of Route 59 and Grass Lake Road.
Just after midnight, a deputy located the Hyundai in a subdivision southwest of Route 59 and Grass Lake Road.
The Hyundai passed the deputy and immediately began fleeing northbound on Route 59 before turning eastbound onto Grass Lake Road, Covelli said.
“The deputy turned around and attempted to catch up; however, the stolen vehicle was already a significant distance ahead,” Covelli said.
As the Hyundai continued eastbound, the deputy discontinued his attempt to stop it near Grass Lake Road and Painted Lake Boulevard.
“Shortly thereafter, the deputy observed a flash in the distance,” Covelli said.
The Hyundai had crashed near Grass Lake Road and Tower Drive, near the Lake Tower Crossing shopping plaza.
Additional deputies, the Lake Villa Police Department and Lake Villa Fire Protection District responded to the crash.
Firefighters worked for approximately 45 minutes to access difficult parts of the car, like the underbody, and completely extinguish the fire.
All three juveniles in the Hyundai were transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville with non-life-threatening injuries.
“Due to the circumstances of the crash, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from the Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team (MCAT) to conduct the crash investigation,” Covelli said.
The Lake Villa Police Department is continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the stolen Hyundai.
As of Saturday morning, charges against the three juveniles are pending.