More charges for driver in Aurora fatal DUI crash

A 27-year-old Streator woman has been charged with reckless homicide and two counts of aggravated DUI in connection with a Feb. 7 crash that killed her 33-year-old male passenger in Aurora.

Police said Stephanie A. Figueroa, of the 800 block of Elm Street, lost control of her 1996 Volkswagen Jetta around 2 a.m. while driving south on Farnsworth Avenue near Indian Avenue. The vehicle left the road and struck a house on the 500 block of North Farnsworth.

The force of the crash caused the Jetta to overturn at least once, police said, and Figueroa's passenger, Obed Cruz-Hernandez, 35, of the 400 block of South Smith Street in Aurora, was ejected from the vehicle. The Jetta came to rest on its roof in the southbound lanes of Farnsworth.

Two Aurora police sergeants witnessed the crash. When they arrived at the scene they said Figueroa crawled out of a window and attempted to run. She was taken into custody without incident in the backyard of a home close to the one she struck.

Figueroa was treated for minor injuries at an Aurora hospital and initially charged with two counts of DUI pending further investigation. She posted bond and was released.

Cruz-Hernandez, who was the only other occupant of the Jetta, was pronounced dead at Rush Copley Medical Center in Aurora roughly 40 minutes after the crash. There were no other injuries.

Upon receiving the results of forensic evidence and other findings of the investigation, the upgraded charges were authorized by the Kane County state's attorney. Figueroa was taken into custody without incident around 12:20 p.m. Feb. 12 at her Streator home by members of the U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force.