A 27-year-old Indian man, Abin Mathew was killed on late Wednesday night in a hit-and-run crash near Willowbrook. Mathew was getting ready to start a new life as a married man.
Abin Mathew, of the nearby Westmont, was a passenger in the silver Nissan Rouge that police said was struck by another vehicle just before the midnight on Route 83 near the Mockingbird Lane. The vehicle which struck the Nissan Rouge left the scene before police arrived.
The DuPage County Sheriff's Office announced the charges against 19-year-old Marlon Myles of Willowbrook. Myles was charged with Leaving the Scene of an Accident Resulting in Death and also a class one felony. Police said that Myles allegedly failed to yield while turning left and he struck Mathew's car while it was traveling southbound on the Route 83.
The Nissan Rouge flipped due to the impact and Mathew died at the scene. The four other people in the car were rushed to the Good Samaritan Hospital. The extent of their injuries is not revealed.
Investigators spent hours collecting the evidence overnight, and they are looking for the driver of a red- or maroon-colored vehicle, which is possibly an older model Buick.
When the neighbors heard the impact of collision, they rushed to the scene for help. Two of them broke the windshield of the Nissan Rogue to get the victims out of the car.
"We were asking them how many were in there, and they kept saying five but we only pulled out four. And just when that happened the police pulled up, and they shined their lights," said a neighbor Christian Lara. That is when they saw Mathew's body, he said.
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Family members said that Mathew moved from India to Westmont a few years ago.
"He's a humble, innocent person, always a caring person. Always helped us out. He worked hard. He worked at a gas station to support his family that way. Just overall a kind and soft-spoken person," said Tony Peter, Mathew's cousin.
Peter said that Mathew worked as a manager at a local gas station. Mathew was looking forward to returning to India with his wife for their wedding ceremony.
Mathew’s family had a hard time figuring out how to tell Mathew's father the devastating news. Mathew’[s father was on a flight to Chicago when his son was killed.
Crash remains under the investigation. Anyone who witnessed the crash or those who have information pertinent to the investigation are requested to call the DuPage County Sheriff's Office at 630-407-2400.
Mrudula Duddempudi.
