A suspect in the hit-and-run crash that killed a 16-year-old boy last Saturday has been arrested, Burr Ridge police said Thursday morning during a news conference.
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Officials identified the driver as 18-year-old Marvin Mejia of Woodridge, who has been charged with failure to report a motor vehicle accident involving death. He appeared in court Thursday where his bond was set at $50,000.
The victim was identified Tuesday as Alex L. Hunt, of Chicago, by the DuPage County Coroner’s Office.
According to police, Hunt was walking east bound on Route 83 and Central Avenue when he was hit by two different vehicles around 9:20 p.m. Paramedics took the teen to Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove where he died as a result of his injuries.
“It’s tragic, it affected all of us … it affected these detectives and officers here who worked nonstop because of the circumstances of this case,’ Madden said. “This young man losing his life … we express our condolences to the family.”
During the news conference held at the police station, Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso said the quick turnaround was made possible partly due to the work of the press.
“Because of excellent media coverage, there was an anonymous tip that assisted the investigation that led to the arrest,” Grasso said. “We encourage you to cover these events and we encourage the public to respond and assist us.”
“This is a story about good police work,” he added. “This is job one — providing police work to protect people and property and with that good work, we got a fast resolution to this very tragic incident.”
Burr Ridge police cooperated with other police departments and a county wide task force to gather information and facts surrounding the case. Northern Illinois University is also assisting with the investigation, officials said, but they did not say why or to what extent the school would be involved.
Earlier in the week, witnesses described two vehicles possibly involved in the crash as a dark colored Jeep Cherokee which would have passenger side front end damage, and possibly, a dark colored Toyota SUV which may have front and right side damage, police said.
Police said on Thursday that Mejia was driving the Jeep in the hit-and-run crash.
DuPage County officials said Mejia turned himself in by calling the State’s Attorney’s Office when he realized he had been involved in the crash after seeing news coverage of the hit-and-run at the same intersection where he damaged his car. Mejia reportedly thought he hit a deer and drove off.
Madden said the incident is a “tragedy at every level.” The case is ongoing and they will follow all leads to find the other driver, he added.
“I know the detectives and officers are happy with where we are at this moment in the case. It’s a lot of hard work, a lot of chasing leads [ …] we continue to investigate,” Madden said.
Investigators are also seeking help identifying a dark Acura SUV with Wisconsin license plates that was seen leaving the crash site.
Anyone with information is asked to call Burr Ridge police at 630-323-8181 or text information anonymously to 888-777. Begin the message with the word “TIP” followed by “BRPDCRASH.”
This story has been updated.