CHICAGO, IL (CBS) — The drunk and speeding driver who ran from a fiery crash early Monday in River North that killed his passenger was later found dead in his Bucktown apartment after apparently committing suicide, according to a police source.
About 1:30 a.m. Monday, a 2009 Nissan coupe was speeding west in the 400 block of West Ontario when it struck a utility pole at Orleans, causing the car to spin out and burst into flames, according to Chicago Police.
A passenger in the car, 21-year-old Alejandra Damian of Joliet, was pulled from the wreck and pronounced dead at the scene at 1:40 a.m., according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Damian, known to friends as “Aly,” was a student at DePaul University, and worked as a waitress at the Vertigo Sky Lounge and Cerise Rooftop, according to her Facebook page.
A GoFundMe page set up to help with funeral and memorial expenses had raised nearly $10,000 towards a $15,000 goal in just 15 hours as of Tuesday morning.
An autopsy found she died of multiple injuries from an automobile striking a fixed object, and her death was ruled an accident, the medical examiner’s office said.
The driver, 34-year-old Anthony Milder, jumped out of the car and ran away, according to a police source and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
A source told the Chicago Sun-Times that Milder — who also went by Anthony van Morré — and Damian were at Bottled Blonde, a bar on Wells Street in River North, for several hours prior to the crash. Milder posted to Facebook at 6:32 p.m. Monday that he was at the bar.
Tuesday afternoon, a Bottled Blonde manager, who declined to give her name, said Milder and Damian were at the bar Sunday, but said they were at several other River North bars that night, as well.
Milder was found in his apartment in the 1800 block of North Wood Street, and pronounced dead at 6:23 p.m. Monday, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. An autopsy Tuesday ruled his death a suicide.
A police source told the Chicago Sun-Times that the Chicago Fire Department was dispatched to Milder’s home to perform a well-being check Monday evening. As fire crews were arriving, so too were Chicago Police officers who were there to question him about the crash.
The source said hung himself with a belt and was found against a door.
According to his social media accounts, Milder was an active figure in the Chicago nightlife scene and worked at Underground, another bar in River North.
The Ontario Street feeder ramp to the Kennedy Expressway was closed for about eight hours after the crash for the investigation and cleanup.
What was this 21-year old doing with a 34-year old man drinking at a bar. This reckless activity cost her her life. Too sad. Girls, live and learn from this tragedy.
==============
CHICAGO (CBS) — A woman was killed in a high-speed collision early Monday in the River North neighborhood, and the crash forced the closure of the Ontario feeder ramp for more than seven hours.
Police said the crash happened around 2 a.m. at the intersection of Ontario and Orleans streets. A speeding 2009 Nissan failed to negotiate the curve onto the Ontario feeder ramp, and instead slammed into at least two utility poles.
Surveillance video of the crash shows the car exploding in flames as it is cut in half after striking two utility poles.
A 20-year-old woman who was a passenger in the car was pronounced dead at the scene. Her name has not been released.
The driver was able to get out of the vehicle, and fled the scene, leaving a trail of blood for at least a block.
Jordan Hack saw the video of the crash, and said she can’t believe anyone survived.
“How? That doesn’t make any sense. That doesn’t make any sense,” she said.
Hack, like the woman who died, is just 20 years old. She said news of the deadly wreck serves as something of a cautionary tale.
“You have to be aware of who you know, and who you’re driving home with, especially late at night on a weekend,” she said.
Police have not said how fast they believe the car was going, but some experts who viewed the video said it appeared the car was traveling more than 80 mph.
Officials shut down the Ontario feeder ramp to the Dan Ryan and Kennedy expressways after the crash while police investigated and performed an accident reconstruction. The ramp reopened around 9:30 a.m.
============
A killer driver with consciousness? Alleged Driver Who Ran From Fatal Kennedy Ramp Crash Commits Suicide
By Alisa Hauser and Kelly Bauer | June 27, 2017 9:59am | Updated on June 27, 2017 6:25pm
Speeding and drunk driver Anthony Milder, who reportedly was the driver in a car crash that killed Alejandra Damian early Monday and shut down the Ontario feeder ramp for seven hours was found dead in his Bucktown apartment Monday night. V Facebook / Google
BUCKTOWN — A 34-year-old man who reportedly was the driver in a car crash that killed his passenger early Monday and shut down the Ontario feeder ramp for seven hours was found dead in his Bucktown apartment Monday night.
The man, Anthony Milder, of the 1800 block of North Wood Street, was pronounced dead at 6:23 p.m. Monday, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office. The coroner later ruled Milder's death a suicide, from hanging.
Milder allegedly was involved in the fatal car crash in River North that killed his 21-year-old passenger, according to ABC7. The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office identified that 21-year-old as Alejandra Damian of Joliet.
A GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $14,000 in just one day to help Damian's family with funeral expenses.
Milder's neighbors said police cars were at his home for several hours Monday night.
In the fiery one-car crash in River North around 1:30 a.m. Monday, the driver of a Nissan was speeding in the 400 block of West Ontario Street when the car hit a utility pole, police said. The car spun out and burst into flames.
Police at the time identified the driver as a man and said he got out of the car and ran away.
Officer Brandy Wright, a Chicago Police Department spokeswoman, said that the death is under investigation and police cannot confirm more details.
Milder, who also went by the name Anthony Van Morre according to friends, managed the door at a night club, Underground, 56 W. Illinois St.
"He was a good guy who always treated everyone with respect and made them feel welcome at Underground," said Jason Tong, an Arlington Heights resident who met Milder through Underground.
===============
A night out in River North, including a stop at the controversial nightspot Bottled Blonde, preceded the fiery, high-speed crash in which a 21-year-old passenger died and the driver ran away — but later took his own life.
The driver, 34-year-old Anthony Milder, was found in his Bucktown apartment and pronounced dead at 6:23 p.m. Monday, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. An autopsy Tuesday ruled his death a suicide.
A police source told the Chicago Sun-Times that the Chicago Fire Department was dispatched to Milder’s home to perform a well-being check Monday evening. As fire crews were arriving, so too were Chicago Police, who were there to question him about the crash, which happened early Monday and closed the Ontario Street feeder ramp for eight hours.
The source said Milder had hanged himself with a belt and was found against a door.
According to his social-media accounts, Milder was an active figure in the Chicago nightlife scene and worked at Underground, another bar in River North.
A source told the Chicago Sun-Times that Milder, who also went by Anthony van Morré, and the passenger in his car, 21-year-old Alejandra Damian of Joliet, were at Bottled Blonde on Wells Street before the crash. Milder posted to Facebook at 6:32 p.m. Sunday that he was at Bottled Blonde; it’s unclear exactly how long the two were there.
Tuesday afternoon, a Bottled Blonde manager, who declined to give her name, confirmed Milder and Damian were at the establishment on Sunday evening. But she said they were at several other River North bars that night based on conversations she’d had with other members of the River North nightlife community.
Alejandra ‘Aly’ Damian | Facebook
Bottled Blonde has become a symbol of sorts for the hip, but sometimes violent, bar scene in River North.
With a flood of complaints for noise, litter and drunken patrons since it opened in 2015, city investigators reprimanded the pizzeria for operating primarily as a bar instead of a restaurant, against the terms of its liquor license, according to records from the city’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection.
The restaurant also has drawn widespread social-media attention for its dress code — which prohibits 30 different styles, including “excessively baggy” clothing, plain white T-shirts and Jordan gym shoes. The dress code has been widely criticized online as a thinly veiled way of keeping out people of color.
Bottled Blonde’s owners have declined to comment on both issues.
About 1:30 a.m. on Monday, the 2009 Nissan coupe that Milder had been driving was speeding west in the 400 block of West Ontario when it struck a utility pole at Orleans, causing the car to spin out and burst into flames. Damian was pulled from the wreck and pronounced dead at the scene at 1:40 a.m.
The crash scene in the 400 block of West Ohio. | ABC7 Chicago via Twitter
Damian, known to friends as “Aly,” was a student at DePaul University, and worked as a waitress at the Vertigo Sky Lounge and Cerise Rooftop, according to her Facebook page. A GoFundMe page set up to help with funeral and memorial expenses had raised nearly $10,000 towards a $15,000 goal in just 15 hours as of Tuesday morning