Alcohol a factor in fatal Elgin crash
An 18-year-old man is facing a laundry list of charges after crashing his car into an Elgin house early Friday, killing the 27-year-old passenger in his vehicle.
Daniel Chagala-Villasca, 18, of 640 Cleveland Avenue in Elgin, was arrested and charged with reckless homicide, four counts of aggravated DUI, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, improper lane usage, and driving without a license or valid insurance, police said Sunday.
Chagala-Villasca was driving a 1993 Nissan Altima when he lost control and crashed into a home on the 600 block of East Chicago Street at about 1:25 a.m. Friday, killing his passenger, Marcelo Martinez-Ayala of Carpentersville. The car came to a rest on the lawn of a home nearby and scattered debris across the two lots.
Both men were taken to Sherman Hospital in Elgin, where Martinez-Ayala was pronounced dead.
Chagala-Villasca was treated for nonlife threatening injuries. On Saturday, he was brought to the Elgin police station where he was subsequently charged.
The crash damaged the home's foundation, front porch and knocked out a gas main and electrical service. Officials have declared it uninhabitable.
No one was home at the time and it is not known whether the house is occupied.
The Elgin Police Department Traffic Unit continues to investigate the cause of the crash.
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