Tragically, this month there have been two different incidents in which drivers fatally struck vulnerable road users on or near Chicago's Halsted Street.
On Saturday, July 5, a hit-and-run Audi driver hit Shaheed Muhammad, 56, on his bicycle at 63rd and Halsted streets in Englewood. The victim died from his injuries on Thursday, July 10.
And on Sunday, June 13, an allegedly intoxicated SUV driver struck and killed Rosa Hernandez, 69, near Roosevelt Road and Halsted on the Near West Side.
The Shaheed Muhammad case
According to a CPD Community Bulletin, on Saturday, July 5, around 2:27 p.m. the driver of 2014 gray, four-door Audi Q5 with Illinois plate EP1634 struck Muhammad at 63rd/Halsted and fled northbound. The bulletin says the car may have front-end damage and a new windshield.
Both 63rd and Halsted have five lanes at this location, which encourages speeding. In August 2022, a driver ran a red at this intersection, striking another vehicle and injuring seven people, including two people at a bus stop, who were hospitalized critical condition.
People with information on this month's crash at 63rd/Halsted are asked to contact the Major Accident Investigation Unit at 312-745-4521 or submit an anonymous tip at CPDTIP.com and use reference RD #JJ322010.
According to the Cook County medical examiner's office, Muhammad, who was riding a bicycle when the driver struck him, died from his injuries on Thursday, July 10.
The Illinois Traffic Crash Report, completed by responding officers, provides more details about what reportedly happened. The police arrived at the scene to find Muhammad lying in the street covered in blood with multiple life-threatening injuries to his head and body, and notified EMS. He was taken to the University of Chicago Hospitals in critical condition,
According to the report, Police Observation Device camera footage shows Muhammad riding east on 63rd towards the intersection, and then proceeding through a red light. The northbound driver, who had a green, struck the bike rider, and failed to stop to render aid, which was was also reported by a witness.
The Rosa Hernandez case
According to the initial police statement, on Sunday, July 13, a 36-year-old woman was driving a Mazda SUV east on Roosevelt when she fatally struck Rosa Hernandez, who was walking in the street. The motorist was arrested and charges were pending.
Roosevelt and Halsted both have five lanes here, which encourages speeding. On May 2024, a hit-and-run trucker struck and killed Karl Hall, 44, at he walked across Halsted Street at Maxwell Street, a block south of Roosevelt in University Village.
The Illinois Traffic Crash Report has more info about what reportedly took place during the recent Roosevelt/Halsted case. When responding officers arrived, Hernandez was lying on the road in the eastbound left turn lane. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Hernandez's husband Eduardo Ruiz told office he and his wife had come to the area to attend a church event. He dropped her off across the street from the house of worship and went to park their car.
A witness told officers the victim was crossing the street when the eastbound driver made a southbound right turn, striking her. The witness photographed the license plate. The driver was approached by police just south of the intersection.
Officers observed signs of impairment from the driver, Tammie Chaffin, and conducted a field sobriety test, which she failed. Uninjured, she was taken to a police station, where she refused to take Breathalyzer, blood, or urine tests. She was charged with misdemeanor DUI, failure to use due care to avoid striking a pedestrian, failure to reduce speed to prevent a crash, and uninsured vehicle. Her next court date is September 4.
"I can't believe she's gone," Hernandez's daughter Claudia Fuentes-Peña told ABC Chicago. "She's a beautiful person. She's been there for so many people." She added that her mother and father had been married for almost 50 years. They had both immigrated from Mexico and worked together at a factor for about five decades. "I'm very angry that [the driver] wasn't charged for murder because she did murder my mom," Fuentes-Peña said.
"After a thorough review of the available evidence, we concluded that it was insufficient to meet the burden of proof required to file felony charges related to this incident," the Cook County State's Attorney's Office told ABC. "We are open to reviewing any new information provided by law enforcement."
Fatality Tracker: 2025 Chicago pedestrian and bicyclist deaths on surface streets
Pedestrian: 14
Bicyclist: 1
Streetsblog Chicago’s traffic death numbers represent fatal crashes on Chicago surface streets, based on media reports and/or preliminary Chicago Police Department data.
2025 Chicago pedestrian fatality cases
• On January 5, 2025, a Jeep driver fatally struck Alex Rivera, 32, in the 2600 block of West 60th Street in the Chicago Lawn community area.
• On January 24, 2025, a hit-and-run SUV driver struck and killed Halyna Hudzan, 66, on the 700 block of North Oakley Boulevard in West Town.
• On February 1, 2025, a truck driver struck and killed Hattie Mickell, 76, walking in the street on the 0-100 block of South Western Avenue on the Near West Side.
• On March 14, 2025, a motorcycle rider fatally struck Camryn Green, 26, as she crossed the street in the 6500 block of Higgins Avenue in Norwood Park.
• On March 17, 2025, a sedan driver sideswiped another car, then jumped the curb and fatally struck Jamie Cerney, 38, on the sidewalk of the 5200 block of West 63rd Street in Clearing.
• On April 7, 2025, a pickup driver fatally struck a 72-year-old man trying to cross DuSable Lake Shore Drive at Roosevelt Road in the Loop.
• On April 29, 2025, an allegedly intoxicated sedan driver fatally struck a woman, 25, on the sidewalk near 13th Street and Lawndale Avenue in North Lawndale.
• On May 13, 2025, an allegedly drunk SUV driver fatally struck a man, 76, on the 7000 South block of Western Avenue in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood and fled the scene.
• On May 16, 2025, a semi truck reportedly disobeyed his traffic signal when making a right turn and ran over and killed a 44-year-old man in the crosswalk at Cermak and Ashland avenues in Pilsen.
• On May 24, 2025, an SUV driver failed to yield while making a left turn, causing a crash and fatally striking Maria Ochoa, 88, at Archer and Laramie avenues in Garfield Ridge.
• On June 21, 2025, a hit-and-run car sedan struck and killed Brendan Siddall, 26 on DuSable Lake Shore Drive near Waveland Avenue in Lakeview.
• On July 13, 2025, an allegedly intoxicated driver fatally struck Rosa Hernandez, 69, at Roosevelt Road and Halsted Street on the Near West Side.
2025 Chicago bike fatality cases
• On May 26, 2025, a Hummer SUV driver fatally struck Yader Castaneda, 18, at Randolph Street and Michigan Avenue in the Loop.
• On Saturday, July 5, 2025, a hit-and-run Audi driver fatally struck Shaheed Muhammad, 56, on his bicycle at 63rd and Halsted streets in Englewood. The victim died from his injuries on Thursday, July 10.
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