Aurora man charged with murder, held pending trial after deadly wrong-way crash on Dan Ryan

A Cook County judge ordered an Aurora man held as he awaits trial in the death of a woman who was killed after he drove the wrong way on the Dan Ryan Expressway last week and crashed into another car.

Juan Ruiz Huerta, 29, faces three counts of first-degree murder, alongside one felony count each of aggravated battery involving a deadly weapon, kidnapping and unlawful restraint for the deadly July 31 crash, according to Illinois State Police.

On Monday, Judge James Costello ordered Ruiz Huerta held. In court, prosecutors alleged that Ruiz Huerta had been driving 86 mph in the wrong direction on the Dan Ryan seconds before the fatal collision while a woman riding in his passenger seat begged him to stop. The woman, 28-year-old Victory Swanigan, of Chicago, ultimately died in the wake of the crash, per prosecutors and state police.

Just before 5:50 p.m. last Friday, state police responded to reports of a five-unit crash in the northbound lanes of Interstate 94 at 55th Street.

According to the prosecution’s proffer, Ruiz Huerta had been pursuing Swanigan romantically for several months and referred to her as his girlfriend. The day of the crash, Ruiz Huerta had paid for Swanigan to get her hair done and picked her up from her appointment, prosecutors said. Once in the car, Swanigan called her friend over FaceTime.

Just after 5:30 p.m., Swanigan called the same friend again, this time frantically, and told her that Ruiz Huerta was driving crazy, prosecutors alleged. Minutes before that call, Ruiz Huerta had allegedly grown angry with Swanigan over the status of their relationship and began arguing with her. At the time, Ruiz Huerta had been driving northbound on I-94, entering somewhere south of 63rd Street, prosecutors said. Around north of 31st Street, they encountered slowing traffic and police lights. As they approached police, Swanigan screamed for help, prosecutors said.

Ruiz Huerta made a U-turn and accelerated in the wrong way on the expressway. This area of I-94 has four local and three express lanes, with a concrete median separating them.

Over Swanigan’s FaceTime call, the friend heard Swanigan pleading with Ruiz Huerta to slow down, let her out, and that she had three children she wanted to see again, the prosecution’s proffer alleges.

Prosecutors, citing statements from several motorists who witnessed Ruiz Huerta’s driving and subsequent collision, alleged that Ruiz Huerta had veered from the local lanes into the express lanes before hitting a car head-on that had been traveling northbound. The collision caused Ruiz Huerta’s car to go airborne, then flip over the concrete median and land in the local lanes, prosecutors said.

Swanigan was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the car that Ruiz Huerta hit was transported to an area hospital with several rib fractures, a laceration to his liver and several other injuries, authorities said.

Ruiz Huerta was also transported to the hospital. A test of his blood alcohol content showed he had no alcohol in his system and a preliminary analysis revealed he was not under the influence of drugs, prosecutors said.

A review of data from Ruiz Huerta’s vehicle showed he was traveling 86 mph five seconds before the crash and 78 mph at the time of impact, with no indication he was hitting the brakes.

Ruiz Huerta’s next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 19.

tkenny@chicagotribune.com