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Gurnee boy, 10, killed on way to church outing

A 10-year-old Gurnee boy killed in a crash Saturday morning on I-94 was on his way to Wisconsin to a church outing when the accident happened, officials said.

Reeve Mathew and an 11-year-old Des Plaines boy were thrown from their vehicle after it crashed into the median at about 9:35 a.m. near Gurnee. Mathew struck his head on the concrete and died instantly, said Jake Jacob, a deacon at the family's church, St. Mary's Knanaya Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church in Waukegan.

Mathew was traveling in a Lincoln Navigator with four adults and two other children on their way to Holy Hill Church in Wisconsin when the vehicle began shaking just before it crashed into the divider, Jacob said.

The vehicle then veered across four lanes onto the right shoulder, said Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Carlita Joe.

The two boys were taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, where Reeve was pronounced dead. Two adults also suffered serious injuries and are being treated at Vista Medical Center in Waukegan, she said. Two other adults and one other child, an 11-year-old Des Plaines girl, were taken to Condell, but were not seriously injured.

Reeve Mathew is the son of Rajesh and Mintu Mathew and brother to newly born Abigail, Jacob said.

"May God have mercy on Reeve's soul and may God give his peace to the family and church members who are grieving," Jacob said. "Please continue to pray for strength and hope."

The vehicle's driver, Silvia Jacob, 50, of Green Oaks, was cited for improper lane usage and improper child restraint. Others in the vehicle included Cherian Jacob, 54, of Green Oaks; Mercy Skaria, 69, of Des Plaines; and a 24-year-old female from Gurnee, state police said in a news release.

I-94 northbound was closed for almost four hours following the accident, with traffic rerouted around the accident, Joe said. The cause of the crash remains under investigation by state police District 15, based in Downers Grove.

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