Coroners IDs Young Man Killed in Drunken Rollover Wreck

JOLIET, IL — A Joliet man killed in a drunken wreck on the city’s far west side early Sunday morning has been identified.

John Burns, 24, was pronounced dead at at Presence St. Joseph Medical Center, according to Will County Coroner Patrick O’Neil’s office.

Burns was the sole passenger in a speeding Dodge Neon SRT-4 that ran off County Line Road north of Black Road shortly after 3 a.m., police said.

The driver lost control, bounced over the curb, took out a small tree, hit an AT&T transformer box, struck a larger tree, flipped over a few times and landed upright behind a house on Hudson Drive, police said.

The driver — 24-year-old Timothy Griffin — got out of the car, checked on his passenger and took off, police said.

An Uber driver witnessed the crash and Griffin’s flight, police said, and residents woken by the commotion saw Griffin try to escape.

Griffin, his face bloodied from his own injuries, was captured nearby, police said. He was reportedly taken to a local hospital and was to be transported upon his release to the Kendall County jail.