An off-duty Cook County Sheriff’s deputy was killed in a crash early Saturday morning in Chicago Ridge, police said.
James Koch was driving in his 2002 Chevy while on his way home to Chicago Ridge following a work shift when he was struck by a 16-year-old driver, who was traveling in a 2015 Nissan, in the 10100 block of Virginia Avenue, Chicago Ridge police said Saturday.
Firefighters responded to the scene around 12:04 a.m., extricated Koch from his car and rushed him to Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, where he was later pronounced dead, police said.
Koch, who had worked at the Cook County Sheriff’s Office for more than 28 years, was employed as an electronic monitoring investigator, according to a Cook County Sheriff’s spokeswoman.
“He was an incredible colleague and friend to so many,” said spokeswoman Sophia Ansari. “Our hearts are broken for his family, his friends and all who were fortunate enough to know him.”
The Illinois State Police Accident Reconstruction Team is assisting with the ongoing investigation.
The 16-year-old driver is in police custody. Charges are pending, police said.
Frank Vaisvilas is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.