Fleeing Friend Who Crushed Woman Under Car Indicted on Felony Charges

JOLIET, IL — A Romeoville woman who ran over her friend — nearly killing her — while fleeing a Joliet house has been indicted on felony charges.

Rose Marta, 31, previously faced only a charge of misdemeanor driving under the influence in connection with the shocking November incident.

On Thursday, a criminal indictment was filed charging Marta with two counts of aggravated driving under the influence.

The indictment mentions methamphetamine and cannabis.

Marta insisted she was sober when she ran over her friend, identified in the indictment as 27-year-old Stephanie Kayser, but she did admit to smoking marijuana a day earlier.

“I’m not going to stay high all day long,” Marta pointed out.

“I don’t even drink,” she also said.

Kayser had been working as a caretaker for an ailing, 59-year-old man at a house on Mayfield Avenue. Marta said she, Kayser and a man were hanging out at the house and fell asleep.

Not long after, the ailing man returned to the house with another man and a woman, Marta said. He was armed with an assault rifle, she said, and she woke up with its barrel in her face.

Police said the man called his son for help after finding two strangers in the house with his caretaker.

Amidst the chaos of a physical altercation, screaming and yelling, Marta made a run for it and jumped in her car, she recalled. The police said she crashed into a parked vehicle before driving through a yard and running down her friend. Marta insisted it was an accident.

“I didn’t mean to!” she said, telling how she went to check on her friend after realizing she was pinned under the car.

“I pushed her hair back to see her face and there was blood all over her forehead,” Marta said.

Police officers were reportedly able to lift the vehicle high enough to pull Kayser out.

She was taken to Presence St. Joseph Medical Center where it seemed she might die, police said. She reportedly suffered a broken pelvis and broken ribs.

Marta is scheduled to appear in court on the new charges June 20.