Passenger dies when Jeep slams into Lake Villa home

LAKE VILLA -- Lake County Sheriff’s crash investigators are looking into a Christmas Eve crash that left one man dead.

About 7:25 p.m. Dec. 24, Lake County Sheriff’s deputies responded to reports of a car that drove into a home in the 21300 block of West Engle Drive, unincorporated Lake Villa, according to a news release. Deputies found a Jeep and a home with major damage.

Police said a preliminary investigation showed that the driver of the Jeep, Marcos Corona-Vargas, 31, of the 1600 block of East End Avenue, Round Lake Beach, was traveling east on West Engle Drive.

According to witnesses, the Jeep crossed into the westbound lane of traffic and then back into the eastbound lane. The Jeep then went off the roadway on the south side, into a yard, and slammed into a home, according to the release.

The home was unoccupied at the time of the crash.

A 22-year-old man of Round Lake Beach, who was sitting in the front seat of the Jeep, was critically injured and subsequently pronounced dead at the scene, according to the release.

Another 22-year-old man of Round Lake Beach, who was sitting in one of the back seats, was seriously injured and taken to an area hospital for treatment. Corona-Vargas also suffered serious injuries and was taken to an area hospital for treatment.

Sheriff’s traffic crash investigators said Corona-Vargas was driving under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash, according to the release.

Corona-Vargas has been charged with reckless homicide and driving under the influence. Upon the completion of his medical treatment, he will be released into the custody of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and taken to the Lake County Jail.

The Lake County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene and an autopsy on the deceased passenger is being scheduled. The crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Team.