A Northbrook man was charged in the horrific crash that killed a 17-year-old Glenbrook South High School senior and injured himself and two others in Glenview Sunday, police said.
Taeyoung Kim, 21, faces several felonies, including multiple counts of aggravated driving under the influence and reckless homicide, along with numerous traffic citations.
Police responded to the two-car crash in the 1200 block of East Lake Avenue just after 11 p.m. Sunday.
Kim was driving a 2021 Ford Mustang westbound in a reckless manner without his headlights on when he struck the vehicle of 17-year-old Marko Niketic, police said. Witnesses said the force of the high-speed collision split Niketic’s late-model Mercedes in half.
Niketic was pronounced dead at the scene. Kim was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. The passengers of both vehicles were taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge in critical condition, according to police.
Niketic is survived by his parents and a brother, as well as extended family in the U.S. and Serbia, according to his online obituary.
“At this time, we are respecting the family’s need for privacy as they process their loss,” Glenbrook South principal Barbara Georges wrote a letter to students and families. “Death can be difficult for us to understand, especially when it is sudden. Today, students may feel shock, sadness, or confusion. What is most important is that we care for and support each other.”
On Saturday, Cook County Judge David Kelly ordered Kim held in detention pending trial but granted the defendant access to medical care for a broken femur and other health issues related to the accident. He is scheduled to return to court next Friday.
