Fugitive who fled to Poland after deadly 2020 crash in Wheeling extradited to U.S.
A fugitive who fled to Poland following a fiery 2020 car crash in Wheeling that killed two people is back in the suburbs to face charges here, police said Friday.
Sebastian P. Kuczek, 47, is charged with two counts of reckless homicide, Wheeling police said. He’d been awaiting extradition since an overseas arrest last year.
Wheeling police took custody of Kuczek on Thursday night in Chicago after he was flown to O’Hare International Airport, Deputy Wheeling Police Chief Michael Conway said.
During a hearing Friday, Cook County Associate Judge Andreana A. Turano ordered Kuczek held until trial at Cook County jail. He’s next scheduled to appear in court Sept. 11.
The deadly crash occurred about 7:30 p.m. on June 23, 2020, on Lake-Cook Road east of Northgate Parkway.
Kuczek, who lived in Chicago at the time, was heading west at 152 mph in a 2017 Jaguar XJR when he crashed into the back of a 2006 Honda Civic, police said. The Civic then crossed into the eastbound lanes and hit a 2005 Toyota RAV4 before bursting into flames, authorities said.
Killed were 62-year-old Arthur Matillano of Buffalo Grove and 49-year-old Brenda L. Felix-Soria of Palatine. Matillano was driving the Civic and was pronounced dead at the crash site; Felix-Soria was driving the RAV4 and died at Glenbrook Hospital in Glenview.
Kuczek was hospitalized and then fled before he was charged, police said Friday. He didn’t have a valid driver’s license at the time of the crash, police said.
Wheeling police worked with the FBI and Interpol to track down and capture Kuczek. He was arrested in May 2025 by Polish police at his house there, Conway said.
Kuczek has made no statements about the crash to police since returning to the U.S., Conway said.
Both victims’ families have been told Kuczek is in jail, Conway said.
“They were very thankful and relieved,” Conway said. “We hope this will give them some closure to this terrible situation.”
If convicted, Kuczek faces up to 14 years in prison, police said.
Kuczek reportedly had been driving the Jaguar to a suburban auto dealership from an auction in Wisconsin for a company called Fast Cars Transportation, attorneys representing Matillano’s family said in a 2022 news release. The family settled a lawsuit against Kuczek, Fast Cars Transportation and other defendants for $12 million, the release said.
A spokesperson for the Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard law firm couldn’t be reached for comment Friday.
rlissau@dailyherald.com