UTV crash kills 2 Harvard men near Hebron

Two Harvard men have died after their UTV crashed near Hebron late Saturday.

The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office said the preliminary investigation showed a 40-year-old Harvard man was driving the UTV, or utility terrain vehicle, at a high rate of speed east along Thayer Road near Hebron with two passengers, a 36-year-old Harvard man and a 35-year-old man from San Carlos, California. About 10:50 p.m. Saturday, the UTV exited the road and severed a utility pole, knocking down power lines and causing an outage in the area.

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The UTV rolled several times, ejecting the driver, came to rest upright in a ditch and caught fire, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.

The two Harvard men were pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said; the California man suffered minor injuries and declined medical attention.

Police said alcohol is believed to have been a factor in the crash, which remains under investigation by McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Major Crash Investigation Unit and McHenry County Coroner’s Office.

In addition to the sheriff’s office, Hebron Alden Greenwood Fire Protection District, Harvard Fire Protection District, Woodstock Fire & Rescue and Wonder Lake Fire Protection District.

The crash shut down a stretch of Thayer Road for several hours late Saturday and into Sunday morning.