Chicago Driver Detained in Fatal I-290 Crash

Illinois State Police said a 21-year-old Chicago man was charged after a fatal four-vehicle crash on Interstate 290 that killed a 25-year-old Wheaton man and injured several others. The crash happened at about 2:59 a.m. on May 17 in the westbound lanes of I-290 west of Ashland Avenue, according to a state police release. Authorities identified the driver as Jose F. Perez Marin and the man who died as Benjamin M. Farraday. State police said Perez Marin remained in custody at the Cook County Jail after prosecutors approved felony DUI charges on May 19. ### Who was charged, and what counts does he face? Illinois State Police said Perez Marin was charged with one count of aggravated driving under the influence involving death, one count of aggravated DUI with no driver’s license, and one count of aggravated DUI involving great bodily harm. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office approved those charges on May 19, state police said. (isp.illinois.gov) The charges stem from a crash that investigators said began when Perez Marin, driving a GMC SUV, rear-ended a Toyota SUV on the Eisenhower Expressway. State police said that impact triggered a chain-reaction collision involving two additional vehicles. ### What do investigators say happened on the expressway? State police said traffic was slowed on westbound I-290 when the GMC struck the rear of the Toyota near Ashland Avenue. (isp.illinois.gov) Local television reports citing state police said the crash involved four vehicles in total and sent multiple people to hospitals. ABC7 Chicago reported that investigators were also working a nearby shooting on the Eisenhower Expressway corridor that same night, and that both investigations affected traffic on the West Side. (isp.illinois.gov) The station said the crash occurred at Ashland Avenue after the earlier shooting investigation near California Avenue. ### Who was killed, and how many others were hurt? Illinois State Police identified the person who died as Benjamin M. Farraday, 25, of Wheaton. State police said Farraday was a passenger in the Toyota SUV and was taken to an area hospital, where he died from his injuries. State police said Perez Marin and five other people were also injured. (abc7chicago.com) Earlier reports on May 17 said eight people in total were taken to hospitals after the crash, before authorities later detailed the arrest and charges. ### What detail did prosecutors cite about speed before impact? Prosecutors said the GMC Yukon’s electronic data recorder showed the vehicle was traveling 65 mph 2.5 seconds before the crash, according to reports published Thursday. (isp.illinois.gov) That detail appeared in coverage of Perez Marin’s detention hearing. Patch and other outlets also reported that prosecutors said Perez Marin was under the influence at the time of the collision. Illinois State Police, in its May 19 release, said the approved charges included aggravated DUI counts but did not describe in that release what substance or test result investigators relied on. (msn.com) ### Was the man who died an Uber passenger? Patch’s report described Farraday as an Uber passenger, but Illinois State Police identified him only as a passenger in the Toyota SUV. Based on the public state police release reviewed here, authorities have not independently detailed the rideshare status of the vehicle or named the driver of the Toyota. (msn.com) That distinction matters because the criminal case, as publicly outlined by state police, is tied to the fatal crash, the DUI allegations and the injuries to other occupants, not to any separate allegation involving Uber itself. No public filing reviewed here described any allegation against the rideshare company or its driver. ### What happens next in the case? (msn.com) Illinois State Police said Perez Marin was being held in the Cook County Jail pending his first court appearance. The Cook County clerk’s office says online case information is available through its case lookup system, though updates can take several days to appear. The next public step is a court appearance in Cook County, where a judge will address the felony DUI case and custody status. (isp.illinois.gov) Illinois State Police said on May 19 that Perez Marin remained in jail awaiting that hearing.