West Chicago man charged with DUI in fatal crash

A West Chicago man faces aggravated drunken driving charges in connection with a fiery Friday night two-vehicle crash in West Chicago that left one person dead.

Omar Montoya Medina, 29, of the 100 block of East Pomeroy Street, has been charged with two counts of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol causing death, the DuPage County state's attorney's office announced Monday.

Montoya Medina was involved in a head-on crash about 11 p.m. Friday at Route 59 and Gary's Mill Road.

Authorities said Montoya Medina was traveling north on Route 59 approaching Gary's Mill Road when 37-year-old Antonio Alvarez tried to make a left turn onto Route 59 from westbound Gary's Mill. Montoya Medina then crashed his vehicle into Alvarez's vehicle at the intersection.

When police arrived at the scene, both vehicles were on fire. Officers found Montoya Medina and his passenger with burns and other injuries. Alvarez, of Warrenville, was found dead inside his car, they said.

Authorities said Montoya Medina's blood-alcohol concentration was .16, double the legal threshold.

"Antonio Alvarez, a married father of two, died from injuries he sustained allegedly at the hands of a drunken driver," State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement. "Driving is a privilege that if abused can lead to irreversible consequences, as alleged in this case."

During a Monday morning appearance in bond court, Judge Elizabeth Sexton set Montoya Medina's bail at $500,000. He would need to post $50,000 to get out of jail.

Montoya Medina's next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 5 in front of Judge Robert Kleeman for arraignment.