When Brian Riley left his Plainfield home for work Wednesday morning, he had every reason to believe that his 15-year-old stepson, Cody Kowalski, was asleep in his room, catching a little extra shut-eye before heading out to a summer basketball camp.
Riley had no way of knowing that as the rest of the family slept, Kowalski had slipped out of the house and into a stolen Nissan Altima with another Plainfield teenager. By the time the family awoke, the car had crashed and Kowalski was dead. The other 15-year-old, who was treated and released at Rush-Copley Medical Center in Aurora, has been charged with possession of a stolen vehicle. At a Juvenile Court hearing Thursday, Will County Judge Rodney Lechwar ordered the boy held at the River Valley Juvenile Detention Center. The boy’s name is being withheld because he is charged as a juvenile.
“I’ve taught these kids respect and discipline,” Riley said of Kowalski and his three siblings. “You can only teach kids so much, and they’ve got to make their own decisions,” he said swallowing tears. “You can have a lot of fun without getting into trouble.”
The teens’ car crashed about 2 a.m. after being chased by Plainfield police, who were responding to a call of fireworks in the area. It is unclear if the boys were shooting the fireworks.
Police officials insist the high-speed pursuit was called off before officers came upon the crash scene. There on normally quiet Meadow Lane, less than half a mile north of 135th Street, officers found the overturned Altima and “observed Kowalski’s arm hanging out the driver’s side window,” according to Illinois State Police Agent Chris Linares, who testified Thursday at the second teen’s initial court hearing. Kowalski, who had just finished his freshman year at Plainfield North High School, was not wearing a seat belt, Linares said.
In court, Linares said the second teen had told a member of the Plainfield Fire Protection District soon after the crash that he was driving, but his attorney, Sandra Ramos, disputed that, saying that there was “compelling evidence” that Kowalski was behind the wheel. She did not elaborate.
Outside of court, Ramos called the incident a tragedy and said her client’s family felt great sorrow for the Rileys.
“The most important thing right now is that condolences go out to the other family.” .
Nationwide, 16.4 percent of all motor vehicle thefts in 2004 that were solved by police involved juvenile offenders, according to the FBI’s most recent Uniform Crime Reports.
Plainfield Deputy Police Chief Mark A. Eiting did not respond to requests Thursday for comment and local statistics.
State police are investigating the crash because it was preceded by a police chase.
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TEENS AT THE WHEEL: The Tribune is spotlighting the dangers of teen driving. For the series so far, go to chicagotribune.com/teendrivers