Man Charged In Fiery Crash That Killed Libertyville Woman

By Sam Borcia, Lake & McHenry County Scanner

A man has been charged with driving more than 35 mph over the limit, causing a crash that killed a 24-year-old Libertyville woman after her car rolled over and burst into flames in Waukegan.

A grand jury indicted Miguel A. Landa, 20, of Waukegan, on charges of reckless homicide, aggravated reckless driving causing bodily harm, speeding and failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash.

The charges stem from a two-vehicle crash that occurred on March 1, 2022.

The Waukegan Police Department, Gurnee Fire Department and Waukegan Fire Department were called around 2:45 p.m. that day to Route 120 and River Road in Waukegan.

Officers arrived and located a serious crash, according to then-Waukegan Deputy Police Chief Joe Florip.

The Waukegan Police Department Major Crash Unit was called to the scene and conducted an investigation.

Investigators learned a gray 2017 Honda SUV, driven by Ashley Kroc, 24, of Libertyville, was attempting to cross Route 120 traffic from River Road, Florip said.

A black 2003 Infiniti sedan, driven by Landa, was traveling eastbound and struck the Honda.

A grand jury indictment said Landa was traveling more than 35 mph over the speed limit and failed to slow down to avoid the crash.

Kroc was pronounced dead at the scene after her Honda rolled over on its roof and became engulfed in flames.

Landa suffered a serious leg injury and was transported to an area hospital.

Route 120 from O’Plaine Road to Route 21 was shut down for nearly eight hours following the crash.

An obituary for Kroc said she graduated from Libertyville High School in 2016 and was a recent graduate of Loyola University in Chicago.

“She had just begun her career as an events coordinator for Clarion Events in Chicago. Ashley enriched her family and friends lives with her bubbly personality and unlimited creativity,” her obituary said.

The Waukegan Police Department completed its investigation into the incident and the case was reviewed by the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office.

It was later presented to the grand jury on August 9.

The grand jury returned the indictment charging Landa and a warrant was issued for him carrying a $350,000 bond, court records show.

He was taken into custody on the warrant on Tuesday and remains held in the Lake County Jail.

Lake and McHenry County Scanner is a local breaking news website covering issues that matter such as shootings, stabbings, house fires, kidnappings, car accidents, and more around Lake County and McHenry County.