Crime & Safety
Street Racers Charged After 2 Passengers Thrown From Car In Naperville: Prosecutors
A Lisle man and a Bensenville man face felony charges in connection with an incident that left two passengers seriously injured.
NAPERVILLE, IL — Charges have been filed after two passengers were thrown from a car and seriously injured in a street racing crash in Naperville in April. The crash caused internal brain bleeding to one passenger and broken bones to both passengers, a news release said.
Sahil Chauhan, 23, of Lisle, and Jadon Ramirez, 18, of Bensenville, were each charged with aggravated street racing and aggravated reckless driving causing great bodily harm in connection with the April 26 incident.
Police had been called to the Courtyard Marriott at 1155 E. Diehl Rd. just after midnight on April 26 for a report of a crash outside the hotel. Prosecutors say Ramirez had been driving a black 2006 Mercedes CLS500 in a race against another car when he swerved and struck a tree.
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According to prosecutors, two passengers were thrown from the Mercedes. A boy, 17, "suffered internal brain bleeding, a punctured lung, broken ribs, a broken vertebrae and scapula," the news release said. Another male, 18, broke his arm in the crash.
Prosecutors say Chauhan had been driving a 2024 Acura ZDX on Diehl near Mill when Ramirez gestured at Chauhan to race him. Ramirez and Chauhan are accused of racing until they got to the stoplight at Diehl and Washington before resuming their race.
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Ramirez is accused of reaching speed s of up to 101 mph in an area with a 40 mph speed limit before losing control of the car and hitting the tree.
“Street racing is not just illegal, it is extremely dangerous not just for those behind the wheel, but also for their passengers, other motorists and nearby pedestrians,” DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a news release.
Berlin added, “The blatant disregard for public safety allegedly exhibited by both of these men is astounding and will not be tolerated on the streets of DuPage County."
Ramirez was detained pretrial an is set to appear in court on July 18. Chauhan was not detained pretrial and is scheduled for court on July 28.
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