Elgin man killed when struck by minivan

Javier A. Alvarado was the type of guy who always had a smile on his face and never shied away from giving his friends advice.

Longtime friend Jeff Cohn said Alvarado was kind enough to take him under his wing when they worked together at Beef Villa on Elgin's east side.

Alvarado, a supervisor at the eatery from 2000 to around 2004, showed Cohn the ropes and dished out personal advice.

Even after Alvarado left to become a waiter and bartender at Lone Star Steakhouse and Saloon, the pair still stayed in touch, with Cohn visiting Alvarado at the west side eatery.

"Javier was a great guy, full of energy, always laughing and smiling," Cohn said. "He didn't let anything keep him down."

The 28-year-old Elgin man was killed early Wednesday morning after a minivan struck him as he walked two streets away from his west side home, police said.

Alvarado, of 2364 South St., was pronounced dead at Provena St. Joseph Hospital after a Toyota Sienna crashed into him at South Street and Nautical Way, police said.

The van had been heading west on South Street at 12:30 a.m. when the accident occurred, said Ann Dinges, a spokeswoman for the Elgin Police Department.

The driver was not hurt in the crash and no charges have been filed.

The Kane County Coroner's Office conducted an autopsy Wednesday afternoon. Results were not available Wednesday.

Dinges could not say what Alvarado was doing when he was hit, if he was wearing dark clothes or if there were other people around at the time of the accident.

The police department's traffic unit continues to investigate.