Naperville Woman Charged In May 2024 Death Of Motorcycle Passenger

AURORA, IL — A Naperville woman was charged with reckless homicide in connection to the May 2024 fatal crash that killed a woman who was a passenger on a motorcycle, Aurora police announced Friday morning.

Adrienne N. Wheeler, 37, is facing the following additional charges: aggravated reckless driving, failure to signal when required, improper lane usage and improper U-turn on roadway. The crash, which happened at about 5 p.m. May 1 at Butterfield Road and Savannah Drive, resulted in the death of 29-year-old Nicole Ross.

Police obtained a warrant for Wheeler's arrest on Sept. 19, and she was taken into custody on Oct. 2. She attended a pretrial hearing the following day and was released by the court.

RELATED: Motorcycle Passenger Dies After Aurora Crash: Police

Aurora police responded at 5:02 p.m. May 1 to a crash at Butterfield Road and Savannah Drive, where they determined a 2021 Chevrolet Suburban, driven by Wheeler, was making a food delivery and intended to turn left from a strip mall onto Butterfield. Within a few seconds, police said she attempted an unsafe U-turn from the curbside lane to travel westbound on Butterfield, entering the path of a Harley-Davidson traveling in the median lane of eastbound Butterfield.

A 30-year-old Batavia man was driving the motorcycle, and a 29-year-old Cortland woman was a passenger. Police said the driver was ejected from the motorcycle and came to rest off the roadway, while the woman was ejected into westbound lanes of Butterfield, where she collided with a car, Patch reported.

Wheeler and a passenger, a 37-year-old man from North Aurora, were taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.