Four suburban teens killed after pickup plunges off Chicago bridge into train car during police chase

CHICAGO - Four teenagers from the northern suburbs died early Sunday when the pickup truck they were in launched off a viaduct on the city's Southwest Side and smashed into a stationary freight train car while fleeing police.

The crash occurred around 2:16 a.m. in the 6900 block of South Cicero Avenue. Authorities identified the victims as Cristofer Lopez Montan, 19, and Yuarem Garcia-Pena, 18, both of Woodstock; Yaritza Martinez Villeda, 17, of Crystal Lake; and Vanessa Morales, 14, of Palatine.

According to Chicago police, the incident began when someone reported that a person in a vehicle pointed a gun at them. Officers located a matching red pickup truck and attempted a traffic stop. The driver fled, prompting a brief pursuit that was quickly terminated for safety reasons.

Illinois State Police later spotted the same vehicle in the 5500 block of South Cicero Avenue. The driver briefly stopped, then sped away again at a high rate of speed. Moments later, the truck left the roadway, flew off the Cicero Avenue bridge over a train yard, and struck a parked freight boxcar below.

Surveillance video captured the vehicle becoming airborne before the impact. Three of the teens were pronounced dead at the scene. The fourth, a female, was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in critical condition and later died. The video may be seen here: https://x.com/SMObserved/status/2081856095421956607?s=20

No other vehicles were involved, and no additional injuries were reported. The Chicago Police Department's Investigative Response Team is investigating the crash.