Teen hurt in scavenger hunt stunt cooperating with police

A South Elgin teen who threw himself from a moving vehicle to earn points in a game is out of the hospital and talking to police, officials said Tuesday.

"He has been cooperative," Kane County State's Attorney John Barsanti said at a press briefing. "If it gets to the point where he can sit down and tell us what happened, maybe that will obviate the need for an investigation."

Erik G. Nava, 17, was critically injured Nov. 21 in a scavenger hunt game involving as many as 80 of his classmates from St. Charles North High School, police have said.

On Tuesday, Barsanti said he made the decision to pursue a special grand jury investigation when it appeared Nava might not live to explain his actions.

"The way it was worded to me, he was going to die that morning," Barsanti said. "As the day went on, I was told he was awake."

Whether the grand jury proceeds depends partly on Nava's ability to remember. If Nava can provide new information, or if he provides no information, "maybe that puts a different spin on this," Barsanti said.

The 16-year-old driver of the vehicle from which Nava leapt told police they were players on an unsanctioned, teen-organized scavenger hunt that awarded points for jumping from a vehicle at 25 mph, among other less-dangerous stunts and pranks.

The witness said she planned to slow down to 10 to 15 mph when Nava jumped without warning at Old Homestead and Mallard Lake roads in St. Charles Township.

Footage of the incident may exist, Barsanti said.

"There's a lot of camera phones involved with this," he said, adding that working with technology has taught him, "just because you delete it doesn't mean it's gone."

Nava, a junior, has been interviewed by police at least once and investigators are talking to other witnesses as well, Kane County Sheriff's Lt. Pat Gengler said Tuesday. He declined to elaborate.

"(Nava) is definitely doing better," Gengler said. "That's the good thing."

Nava began recovering over the Thanksgiving holiday. He was discharged from Delnor-Community Hospital in Geneva on Tuesday. Relatives could not be reached for comment.