Mount Prospect man killed by car remembered as ‘brilliant’

Matthew Svedman was a young man destined for great things, said Larry DeAngelo, owner of Al’s Shoe Service in downtown Mount Prospect, where Svedman worked as a high school student.

“He was a brilliant young man, a deep thinker,” DeAngelo said Wednesday. “I always thought he was a step above his peers. I know he’ll be sorely missed.”

Svedman, 19, died Tuesday night after being struck by a car near the intersection of Rand Road and Prospect Manor Avenue in Mount Prospect. Police continue to investigate the accident.

Friends and relatives said they are trying to come to grips with the heartbreaking loss of a man just coming into his own.

“He was so smart, and extraordinarily talented musically,” said Svedman’s mother, Dorothy. “He played guitar and bass, and it seemed like there was nothing he couldn’t do on those instruments.”

Dorothy Svedman said Matthew, who graduated from Prospect High School in 2011, was enrolled part-time at Harper College. She said he hadn’t yet settled on a particular course of study.

DeAngelo said Svedman took a part-time job at Al’s near the end of his time at Prospect.

“He just came in one day and asked if I needed a hand,” DeAngelo said. “He was a great kid — friendly, personable. He had a great heart.”

Teachers at Prospect High School were told Wednesday to be attentive to any students who might need to talk to counselors, Prospect Principal Kurt Laakso said. Svedman’s older sister, Megan, and his older brother, Michael, also attended the school.

Laakso said Matthew Svedman was a member of Prospect’s Talent Development Program, which serves students with special talents or gifts.

“He was very bright, and he was well liked at Prospect,” Laakso said. “This has been a shock to the school community. Our condolences go to his family.”

Police said witnesses have told them that Svedman stepped into the southbound lanes of the intersection from Prospect Manor Avenue about 8:25 p.m. Tuesday before being hit by the car. The driver, a 56-year-old Mount Prospect woman, was not injured.

Police ask that anyone with information about the accident call (847) 870-5656.

Dorothy Svedman said visitation services will take place from 3 to 9 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6, at Friedrichs Funeral Home, 320 W. Central Road, Mount Prospect. A funeral service will begin at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, at St. Emily Catholic Church, 1400 E. Central Road, Mount Prospect.