Community Corner
Locals, Benet Students Remember Jennie Dizon on Social Media
The 17-year-old died Thursday after she was struck by lightning in Downers Grove— just days before she was scheduled to graduate from Benet Academy.
A 17-year-old girl from Downers Grove was struck and killed by a lightning bolt Thursday evening, authorities said.
Jennie Dizon, a senior at Benet Academy in Lisle, was found unconscious and not breathing just after 5 p.m. at O'Brien Park, 6909 S. Dunham Road, just east of the sled hill, according to Downers Grove Police Lt. Mike Willison.
Paramedics from the Downers Grove Fire Department were unable to revive her, and she was pronounced dead at the scene. Preliminary results of autopsy showed "electrocution consistent with a lightning strike," according to the DuPage County Coroner's Office.
Dizon's parents told reporters Friday that she had dropped off her brother and sister at a dentist's office, and likely went to the park, which is located near their home, to write in her journal.
Dizon's death came just days before her graduation from Benet, which is scheduled for Sunday. She was an honor student and member of the color guard, and planned to study theater at the University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.
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