Car crashes into Elgin home, killing passenger

A 26-year-old Carpentersville man was killed Friday morning when the vehicle he was a passenger in crashed into an Elgin home, police said.

Authorities say Marcelo Martinez-Ayala, of the 2100 block of Aberdeen Drive, died when the 1993 Nissan Altima in which he was riding left the roadway about 1:25 a.m. and crashed into a home in the 600 block of East Chicago Street. The car came to a rest on the lawn of a home nearby.

Both occupants of the vehicle were taken to Sherman Hospital in Elgin, where Martinez-Ayala was pronounced dead. The 18-year-old driver, who has not yet been identified, was treated for non-life threatening injuries, a police department release said.

Elgin Deputy Police Chief Jeff Swoboda said the driver is expected to be released from hospital Saturday. At that time, Swoboda said, investigators will interview the driver and file any necessary charges.

The crash damaged the home's foundation and front porch and knocked out a gas main and electrical service, Swoboda said. Officials declared it uninhabitable.

No one was home at the time and it is unclear if the house was occupied, Swoboda said.

The Elgin Police Department Traffic Unit continues to investigate the cause of the crash.