Hit-and-run SUV driver fatally struck man, 42, in crosswalk August 16 in Washington Heights

Here at Streetsblog Chicago, we attempt to do a blog post about every case in which a person on foot, bicycle, or e-scooter is killed in a traffic collision on surface streets within our city.

In the wake of the killings of electric motorcycle (“e-moto”) riders Juan Martin Márquez, 54, and Deshawn Lee, 33, by drivers who ran red lights, we have decided to expanded our Fatality Tracker series to include cases involving this relatively new travel mode.

It’s important to remember that, despite how they are usually described in news reports, emotos and other bicycle-like “devices with an electric motor greater than 750 watts are not e-bikes,” according to the statewide advocacy group Ride Illinois. It’s unsafe and illegal to ride these devices on bike lanes and off-street paths also used by slower vehicles and pedestrians.

That said, e-moto riders also count as vulnerable road users, and their vehicles are more space efficient, and probably less harmful to the environment, than automobiles, trucks and other gasoline-powered vehicles. E-motos are popular with food delivery riders, for example, and if they are replacing cars for those kind of trips, that’s a good thing.

So including e-motos in our Fatality Tracker will help call attention to safety issues associated with these vehicles, and hopefully encourage policies to help prevent fatal crashes.

Pedestrian Fatality in Washington Heights

SBC often learns about crash deaths via Google searches for walk/bike/transit-related news stories, and every day we include these in our Today’s Headlines post.

In addition, he hear about these tragedies from the Chicago Police Department’s Media Major Incident Notifications site. Ocassionally, Police News Affairs can give us more info.

We also use the Monthly Fatal Crash Summaries published by the Chicago Department of Transportation. They are usually released a month or two after crash take place. Recently, a report was posted for August 2026.

Via the August report, I learned of another case this summer that Streetsblog hadn’t previously reported. News Affairs then provided the initial CPD statement.

On Sunday, August 16, at around 2:55 a.m., a man, 42, was crossing 95th Street in a crosswalk at Morgan Street, next to Oakdale Park, police said. Here, 95th is a four-lane “stroad,” a highway-like street in an area with significant pedestrian traffic, which encourages speeding and crashes.

Police said the eastbound driver of an SUV struck the victim and fled the scene.

According to News Affairs, the pedestrian was taken to Northwestern hospital, where he was pronounced dead. There were no other updates on the case today.

Fatality Tracker: 2026 Chicago pedestrian and bicyclist deaths on surface streets

Pedestrian: 21

Bicycle or e-scooter: 6

Electric motorcycle (“e-moto”): 2

2026 Chicago pedestrian fatalities

• On Wednesday, January 7, around 8:44 a.m., a 42-year-old woman driving an SUV fatally struck a man, 64, crossing at 9498 S. Lafayette Ave. in Roseland.

• On Monday, February 16, around 4:12 p.m., a 37-year-old female truck driver struck and killed a woman, 63, in the 7200 block of West Bryn Mawr Avenue in Norwood Park.

• On Monday, February 16, before 7:30 p.m., a hit-and-run driver fatally struck a man, 69, in the 11900 block of South Halsted Street in West Pullman.

• On Tuesday, March 3, around 6:15 PM, an SUV driver, 70, fatally struck a female pedestrian in the 4000 block of West Foster Avenue in the North Park neighborhood.

• On Wednesday, March 11, sometime before 10 p.m., a hit-and-run driver fatally struck a woman, 32, in the 2100 block of East 83rd Street in South Chicago.

• On Friday, March 13, at around 12:06 p.m., the left-turning driver of a large vehicle fatally struck a pedestrian in a crosswalk at 3960 W. 26th St. in Little Village.

• On Sunday, April 12, around 9 p.m., a 17-year-old girl driving an SUV fatally struck a Fontella Wyatt, 43, crossing Ogden Avenue at Ashland Avenue on the Near West Side.

• On Sunday, April 19, at about 9:30 p.m., a hit-and-run pickup truck driver struck and killed Minerva Martinez, 65, in a crosswalk at Belmont and Central avenues in Belmont Cragin.

• On Monday, April 20, around 6 p.m., a semi-truck driver fatally struck Autumn Perez, 29, at 6341 S. Western Ave. in Chicago Lawn.

• On Tuesday, April 21, at around 4:24 p.m., a Honda driver, 47, fatally struck a male pedestrian, 78, at 4050 N. Central Avenue in Portage Park.

• On Wednesday, April 22, a driver failed to yield the right of way and fatally struck a pedestrian at 1498 N. California Ave. in West Town.

• On Saturday, May 2, around 2:40 a.m., after an argument, a driver fatally struck a man, 65, standing on the sidewalk on the 5000 block of S. Western Ave. in Gage Park, and then fled the scene.

• On Tuesday, May 12, Enrique Nieto, 53, was changing a flat car tire in the street on the 6800 block of South Pulaski Road when an SUV driver fatally struck him and fled the scene.

• On Thursday, May 14, a hit-and-run sedan driver fatally struck a man, 36, near 87th Street and Ashland Avenue in Auburn Gresham.

• On Saturday, May 23, around 5:15 p.m., a driver, 35, fatally struck Illeana Crisanto, 62, near Belmont and Kilbourn avenues, on the border of Irving Park and Hermosa.

• On Saturday June 6, around 12:45 a.m., a hit-run-driver ran a red and fatally struck a 42-year-old woman on the 7900 block of South Ashland Avenue in Auburn Gresham.

• On Thursday, July 2, 2026, around 6:47 p.m., a jeep driver failed to yield while turning and fatally struck a man, 71, at 6258 S. Pulaski Rd. in West Lawn.

• On Sunday, July 26, at around 10:47 p.m., a speeding SUV driver, 39, struck and killed a male pedestrian, 63, on the 5100 block of South Western Avenue in Gage Park.

• On Wednesday, July 29, at around 11:41 a.m., a hit-and-run truck driver struck and killed Belesda Toledo, 47, on the 2500 block of South Hamlin Avenue in Little Village.

• On Saturday, August 8, around 9:22 p.m., a sedan driver fatally struck Sarah Milcarek, 25, on the 1400 block of West Irving Park Road in Lakeview.

• On Sunday, August 16, an SUV fatally struck a man, 42, crossing in a crosswalk at 95th and Morgan streets in Washington Heights.

2026 Chicago bicycle and e-scooter fatalities

• On Thursday, January 24, around 8:20 p.m., the 33-year-old male driver of a Toyota fatally struck Roman Havelka, 63, on a bicycle in the 8600 block of West Irving Park Road.

• On Saturday, March 21,  around 8:30 p.m., a hit-and-run driver fatally struck Violet Harris, 15, on an e-scooter in the 2800 block of East 77th Street in South Shore.

• On Sunday, April 5, around 1:20 a.m., a speeding, hit-and-run SUV driver fatally struck Damian Gomez, 18, on a bicycle at 63rd Street and Kedzie Avenue in Chicago Lawn.

• On Friday, April 24, around 4:15 p.m., a Jeep driver struck and killed e-scooter rider Astrid Carrillo Noguera, 17, near 3340 S. King Dr. in the Douglas community.

• On Friday, June 5, around 4:40 p.m., a car driver opened their door on CDOT Planner Riley O’Neil, 35, causing him to clip the door and be thrown in front of a truck and fatally struck.

• On Wednesday August 5 at about 3:37 p.m., a semi driver and Alex Blacio, 16, riding an e-scooter, collided at 4025 N. Western Ave. in North Center, and the teen later died from his injuries.

2026 Electric motorcycle (e-moto) fatalities

• On Monday, September 14, around 5:15 a.m., at Archer and Laramie avenues in Garfield Ridge, a pickup driver ran a red light, fatally struck e-moto rider Juan Martin Márquez, 54, and then fled the scene on foot.

• On Sunday, October 4, around 6:06 a.m., at Lake Street and Homan Avenue in East Garfield Park, Deshawn Lee, 33, was fatally struck by a sedan driver who ran a red light.

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