National Guard soldier from Carpentersville dies in car crash

An Illinois Army National Guard soldier was killed Sunday night in a car crash while returning to his home in Carpentersville.

Spc. Aiden Mrotek, 21, was returning from a community outreach event in downstate Kewanee, according to a news release from the Illinois Army National Guard.

He hit a bridge guardrail on Route 40 near Manlius around 8:48 p.m. Sunday, according to the news release.

“He was a dedicated and patriotic man who, at the tender age of 21, had already deployed overseas in support of U.S. military counter-terrorism operations,” said Brig. Gen. Lenny Williams, the assistant adjutant general for the Army of the Illinois National Guard and the commander of the Illinois Army National Guard, in the news release. “He epitomized what it means to be a National Guard Soldier, answering the call in our nation’s defense while also being part of the community in which he served.”

Mrotek joined the Illinois Army National Guard’s 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry Regiment, which is based in Kewanee, in May 2023. He was deployed to Djibouti from September 2024 to September 2025.

His awards and decorations include the Army Achievement Medal, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal with M Device, the Global War On Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War On Terrorism Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon.

sarkauskas@dailyherald.com