Street Racing Death: Motorcyclist Charged With Reckless Homicide

ELGIN, IL — Bond was set Tuesday for an Algonquin man accused of reckless homicide in a June 11 motorcycle crash in Elgin involving a Palatine man. According to the Kane County State's Attorney's Office, Kane County Judge Keith Johnson set bond for Matthew Kasper, 26, of the 200 block of Hillcrest Drive, at $50,000 — with 10 percent to apply — following his Tuesday arrest.

At 5:52 a.m., June 11, 49-year-old Piotr Klimczak, of Palatine, was headed southbound on Route 31/State Street on a motorcycle when it crossed the center line and hit a 2005 Honda SUV headed northbound near Wing Street, according to a release from the Elgin Police Department. Klimczak was critically injured and taken to Presence St. Joseph Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

According to the release, a follow-up investigation by Elgin and West Dundee police determined Klimczak had been street racing against another motorcyclist, later identified as Kasper, who is accused of leaving the area when emergency responders got to the crash site. The two motorcycles were going between 88 and 114 mph before the deadly crash, according to police.

Kasper was arrested after the Kane County State's Attorney's Office reviewed the facts of the crash investigation and authorized several felony charges against him, including one count of motorcycle vehicle accident involving death, one county of reckless homicide, one count of aggravated street racing and one count of misdemeanor speeding 35 mph or more over the limit.

"We remind everyone that speeding is dangerous,” Elgin Police Chief Ana Lalley said in the release. "Already in 2019 there have been seven traffic crash fatalities in Elgin, some of which include speed as a factor. We want you, and those you share the road with, to arrive at destinations safely."

Judge Johnson set Kasper's next court appearance for Aug. 15 in Kane County.