Chicago Sun-Times: All posts by Sophie Sherry

McKinley Park resident ‘terrorized’ by Chicago’s weekend street takeovers

2023-12-11T21:31:47.896-06:00

Fireworks are shot from cars in a street takeover in McKinley Park. A resident has complained to the alderperson and police, but takeovers have occurred nearly every weekend since April from midnight to 3:30 a.m.

Provided

Every weekend for nearly nine months, a McKinley Park resident has felt the walls of her home rumbling from the power of souped-up cars revving their engines nearby.

The “deafening” screech of tires drifting at 32nd Street and Hoyne Avenue have made it impossible for her to sleep, she said. The meet-ups — known as street takeovers — draw crowds of 100 to 150 people and can last from midnight to 3:30 a.m.

Like clockwork, the resident, who asked to not be named out of concern for her safety, said she calls the cops, who try to disperse the crowds, only for drivers to return with “remarkable consistency,” sometimes within hours.

The gatherings began there in April despite an attempt by the city to crack down last year. The resident says the noise and commotion have eroded her quality of life, and she feels even worse for her neighbors with young children.

“It’s to the point I recognize specific 911 operators’ voices,” the resident said. “It’s ridiculous. I hate that this has become a reality.”

A McKinley Park resident points to the intersection where street takeovers are a regular occurrence. Skid marks on the pavement are a sign of drivers doing burnouts.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Such gatherings were supposed to have been addressed in July 2022, when the City Council empowered the Chicago Police Department to impound vehicles involved in the street stunts. That was in response to highly publicized meets in the West Loop and other areas of the city, some of which led to clashes with officers and another that resulted in a deadly shootout in Brighton Park.

But the ordinance doesn’t seem to have deterred the drivers who have gathered at the corner in McKinley Park this year. The resident says she has seen officers taking down license plate numbers, yet she continues to see the same vehicles and drivers return each weekend.

The first incident occurred April 16, when about 150 young people blocked traffic, performed stunts in their cars and ripped down street signs, according to the resident. She said she later found images on social media of someone driving around with the signs, which have yet to be replaced. She also found videos posted from the corner of her block of cars driving in doughnuts and passengers shooting off fireworks.

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The same scene has repeated itself every Saturday since, with the exception of just four weekends, according to the resident. She’s collected dozens of photos of the crowded intersection.

A Chicago police spokesperson said the most recent information on reports of drag racing in the 3200 block of South Hoyne were multiple calls made to 911 about 12:50 a.m. on Dec. 3. A police report wasn’t generated for the incident.

The resident said Ald. Julia Ramirez (12th) has made efforts to set up a meeting with Chicago police, but nothing has happened.

Skid marks on a McKinley Park street where a resident says street takeovers have been happening weekend nights since April.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

“I understand the bureaucracy turns slowly, but this has been 8 1/2 months,” the resident said.

Ramirez said she’s been communicating with the local police district and has made headway in securing a meeting to address adding some barriers at the intersection to stop the gatherings.

“I’ve asked the police department to sit down with our office and [the resident] to discuss what it is that we can put in terms of physical barriers to stop them from being there,” Ramirez said.

Fireworks are shot from cars in a street takeover in McKinley Park.

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According to the resident, a police officer contacted her Thursday morning and told her the department was aware of the issue and had received 180 reports of drag racing on that corner so far this year.

Ramirez noted that police have had some success curbing other meets in the area, such as one that regularly took place at a Mariano’s grocery store near Ashland and Archer avenues.

But Ramirez said there needs to be more discussions about stopping similar gatherings, not just in her ward but in other areas of the city.

Ramirez acknowledged that stopping the street takeovers altogether is challenging for police because crowds chased away from one location regroup elsewhere.

“What happens is most times if there is a specific location, [police] work on it and other areas pop up,” Ramirez said.

Street takeovers have been a regular occurrence most weekends since April on a McKinley Park street, residents say.

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Drivers and spectators rely on social media platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram and even the encrypted messaging app Telegram to share meetup locations. When those are broken up, many cruise around the city until they receive a message with the next address.

In October, Ald. Ray Lopez (15th) introduced an ordinance aimed at holding parents and legal guardians responsible for kids engaging in these activities.

The ordinance would make it a crime for any parent or legal guardian to “willfully and/or knowingly allow a minor in their charge to engage in a host of offenses wreaking havoc on the quality of life in Chicago neighborhoods. Those offenses range from panhandling, underage and public drinking and cannabis use, violating curfew and ‘climbing on’ cars to street takeovers and drag racing.”

Those charged under this ordinance could be fined $1,000 to $5,000, depending on the offense, and would have to undergo “licensed family counseling.”

In a Sun-Times story on the meets from last year, spectators Dee and Jojo said those who attend the meetups are not bad people.

“I think there is a bad misconception with these meets that it’s rowdy and uncivilized, but really we try and practice safety,” Dee said. “Everyone tries to highlight safety and there are group chats and Instagram pages that tells everyone to drive safely.”

Chicago police said in a statement that officers will continue to enforce the impound ordinance to hold those caught drifting and drag racing accountable.

“Those who are caught violating the ordinance will have their vehicles impounded and face a fine of up to $10,000,” police said. “We will continue to do everything we can to enhance public safety, including cracking down on this dangerous and illegal activity.”

The department was not immediately able to provide information on the number of arrests made or the number of vehicles impounded.

The resident does not want to see the people involved overly penalized, but she says something must be done to deter them from returning to the corner each weekend — she has proposed installing a traffic circle at the intersection.

“We’ve been terrorized by these kids, and I just can’t do it anymore.”

People watch as a car drifts in circles during a takeover at West 119th and South Halsted streets on the Far South Side in August 2022. Officials say crowds chased away from one location frequently regroup elsewhere and continue their stunts.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times (file)

A person hangs outside the window of a Dodge Charger during a street takeover at Ford City Mall in summer 2022.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times (file)

Chicago sees largest spike in robberies in over 20 years, analysis finds

2023-12-07T07:09:15.325-06:00

Jeremiah Watson was robbed as he walking to the Citgo Gas Station on the corner of 76th and S South Chicago on the South Side.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

It all happened in a matter of seconds.

Jeremiah Watson was walking to a gas station Oct. 28 near 76th Street and South Chicago Avenue when a group of people surrounded him and pointed a gun in his face.

They beat him up, smacked him with the gun and stole the cash he had.

Watson, 29, went to the hospital and received six stitches. The scarring has started to fade, but Watson remains on high alert when walking in his Avalon Park neighborhood.

“I’ve really been staying in the house lately,” Watson told the Sun-Times. “Especially when it’s getting dark, I’m indoors somewhere. I gave them [police] the best description that I could give, but I haven’t received word or anything at all that, ‘yeah, we got these guys.’”

Watson is not alone in his experience. City data analyzed by WBEZ indicates Chicago is seeing its largest spike in robberies in more than two decades.

There were nearly 4,900 robberies between July 1 and Nov. 26, an increase of more than 55% compared to the total for the previous five months. That’s the largest increase in robberies between consecutive five-month periods since at least 2001 — the earliest year tracked in the city’s online crime portal.

‘Bank jackings’ in Chicago see robbers drain victims’ accounts with their phone apps

Humboldt Park, West Garfield Park and East Garfield Park saw the highest robbery rates in the city during the July-November surge, with essentially one robbery reported for every 200 residents in those communities during those five months, according to the analysis by WBEZ. Humboldt Park, along with the Austin and West Town community areas, also saw the highest number of total robberies reported during that time.

Chicago’s armed robberies surge, in five charts

It’s unclear why the surge is taking place.

A Chicago Police Department statement didn’t address potential reasons for the spike but said since July, the department has enhanced its efforts to combat robberies, resulting in a 25.8% increase in robbery arrests compared to the same period in 2022, according to its data.

“We will continue to hold these offenders accountable and pursue justice for all victims,” the statement said.

Lance Williams, a professor of urban community studies at Northeastern Illinois University, also was unsure why robberies have increased so dramatically, but said what stands out to him is that “again, the Black neighborhoods that have been struggling continue to struggle.”

Overall, total robberies in the city are lower compared to where they were from 2001 to 2013, and again in 2016 and 2017, when robbery totals surpassed 10,000 each year. But with more than 8,700 total robberies reported through late November, the city is on pace to see the most robberies since 2017.

On carjackings

Robberies surge as carjackings dip

WBEZ focused its analysis on the surge in reports of robberies and attempted robberies, excluding carjackings and attempted carjackings, which are tracked separately by police, even though the crimes are similar in some cases. The city saw a peak in carjackings in 2021, with a total of 1,850, but that number has since been on the decline.

Then-Chicago Police Supt. David Brown announced a raft of measures aimed at slowing the surge of carjackings, including beefing up the department’s Vehicular Hijacking Task Force. In March, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced $21 million in grants to police departments and task forces across the state to address the issue.

As of Nov. 26, there have been 1,177 carjackings reported in the city, according to city data.

Jeremiah Watson shows the scar near his right eye after he was beaten and robbed near a gas station on the South Side.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Armed robberies increased markedly between July and Thanksgiving

Armed robberies appeared to be driving the recent spike in robberies, according to the WBEZ analysis. About 3,600 armed robberies were reported between July 1 and Nov. 26 of this year, a 75% increase compared to the number reported during the previous five months.

Daniel Penates, 34, was leaving a bar near the Mag Mile in the early hours of Oct. 22 when someone approached him from behind and hit him on the back of his head. Penates was able to throw the attacker off, and he kept walking, but the man got up and approached again, this time pulling out a gun.

“Next thing you know, I hear somebody running behind me and when I turn around he has the gun pointed straight at my head,” Penates told the Sun-Times. “He said, ‘Do something stupid again, and I’m gonna shoot you.”

Penates, who lives in Miami but is in Chicago for work, handed over his phone and the chain he was wearing.

“My chain cost a lot of money, but my life is worth more,” Penates said.

Walgreens workers bound, robbed at gunpoint in Gold Coast: ‘We just came for the money’

He went to the police station the next morning to report the crime but did not expect many updates. The man was masked, so Penates was unable to offer any description to police.

His phone was later found about 20 blocks from the scene.

Penates said crimes like this are also common in Miami, but that he is extra cautious while in Chicago.

“I don’t care what time it is, as long as I’m walking, I don’t take out my phone,” Penates told the Sun-Times. “I’m always just looking around, vigilant. You always gotta be looking around 24/7.”

In 19 Chicago community areas, the robbery total doubled or more than doubled this year during the five months from July 1 through Nov. 26 compared to the previous five months — primarily in communities on the Southwest Side and the Northwest Side.

The Logan Square, Lower West Side and Belmont Cragin communities already were seeing higher numbers of robberies this year but saw their figures rise more during the July-November surge, when their totals ranked among the 10 highest neighborhoods in the city.

John Cook and his girlfriend were parked outside her apartment building near the border of Logan Square and Bucktown in late October when all of a sudden someone pointed a gun at them through the windshield.

“Both the doors just flew open,” Cook, 22, told the Sun-Times. “There was a guy in the front of the hood with a gun, guys on either side and a guy in the car as well. They just took our phones and wallets, nothing else. They didn’t really check our bags, our jackets … It was all done within five seconds.”

As soon as the robbers began driving away, Cook spotted a police car heading in the other direction.

“I flagged him down and made the police report within two minutes of being robbed,” Cook said.

Cook’s wallet was recovered just a few blocks away with only a credit and debit card missing — the cards were never even used. The couple’s phones were also dropped somewhere in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.

In Cook’s eyes, there seemed to be no explanation for the robbery.

‘Where’s the f- - -ing cash?’

In West Town, one area with the highest total number of robberies in the last five months, Emily and her roommate had just returned to their apartment at about 3:30 p.m. Oct. 22 when they noticed a car driving toward them.

“They came from far away … It was a bit weird. It was coming really fast. I thought: ‘Jeez, they’re going to hit me,’’’ said Emily, 29, who asked to be referred to only by her first name.

When the car stopped right next to them, three or four young men in their late teens or early 20s wearing hoods over their faces jumped out with guns drawn. They screamed, “‘Where’s the f---ing cash?’’’ she recalled.

The robbers took their purses, wallets, a fanny pack and a makeup bag before speeding away.

“We got everything back except for the money,” Emily said. “They drained all my change too — and left me a penny. I call it my lucky penny.”

Police told them the same group robbed seven or eight people right after them.

Emily, who asked to only be referred to by her first name, was robbed Oct. 22, right outside her home. Police found what she calls her “lucky penny” in her wallet after they recovered her stolen items.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Emily, who was robbed near her home in October, stands in her living room Friday.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

In November, the Chicago Police Department issued at least 15 community alerts warning residents about rashes of robberies occurring across the city. In many of those alerts, offenders would drive up to victims who were on foot or in their own vehicles, exit their vehicles wielding firearms, and commit the robberies.

WBEZ also analyzed city crime data to find other instances in which three or more robberies were committed within an hour in the same community area. The analysis showed that those robbery blitzes increased dramatically during the five-month jump.

From February through June this year, citywide daily robbery totals never surpassed 45. Since July 1, that has happened at least 20 times — about once a week.

Most robberies over Thanksgiving holiday in 7 years

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, there were at least 281 people robbed between Wednesday, Nov. 22 and Sunday, Nov. 26 — the highest number reported over the holiday since 2016.

Chicago police have issued community alerts about at least five robbery sprees during that period.

One robbery during that time involved an off-duty Chicago police officer who was robbed of his star, badge and gun on the Northwest Side.

Ald. Felix Cardona Jr. (31st), who represents the ward where the officer was robbed, said residents are frustrated and scared.

“They know that the police are doing their job, but their hands are tied,” Cardona Jr. told the Sun-Times.

He added that changes to the police department’s no-chase policy would better equip officers to address this increase in crime, but the department says arrests have increased.

The police department told the Sun-Times that personnel from the Bureau of Patrol and the Bureau of Detectives meet weekly to “identify and review patterns,” related to robberies and motor vehicle thefts.

In these meetings, they also discuss strategic deployment and “leveraging technology as part of the investigations.” Police department officials did not provide any further details.

Williams, who works closely with several Chicago-area violence prevention groups, says the issue will not be solved by police but by investments in the community.

“You have to invest in the infrastructure of the neighborhood,” Williams said. “You have to bring viable businesses into the neighborhood. You got to bring in functioning social services, invest in the schools in order to help those individuals. And the city is just overwhelmed with that task.”

Contributing: Rosemary Sobol

Stronger thigh muscles may reduce the need for total knee replacement surgery, study finds

2023-11-27T17:41:22.442-06:00

The knee joint of a patient showing severe cartilage defects and an intact knee joint.

Radiological Society of North America

Strengthening thigh muscles could help ward off costly knee replacement surgery, according to research presented Monday to radiology professionals at McCormick Place.

In the United States, 14 million adults have symptomatic knee osteoarthritis, and more than 600,000 patients undergo total knee replacement surgery each year, “causing significant economic burden and a challenging recovery, involving physical therapy and lifestyle adjustments,” according to Dr. Upasana Upadhyay Bharadwaj of the University of California San Francisco, the lead author of the new study.

Speaking at the annual meeting of the Oak Brook-based Radiological Society of North America, Upadhyay Bharadwaj said these findings could be used to better inform strength-training programs for those with advanced arthritis in the knee.

Osteoarthritis is a type of arthritis caused by “age-related wear and tear,” according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. It often occurs in those over 50, but younger people can experience effects as well.

A 2019 study from Blue Cross Blue Shield found the average price for an inpatient knee replacement was $30,249.

It’s one of the most “chronic, degenerative and progressive conditions,” Upadhyay Bharadwaj said.

It is generally accepted that stronger muscle groups tend to lower the risk of total knee replacement surgery, but this study explored the relationship between the quadriceps, the extensor muscles at the front of the thigh, and the hamstring muscles at the back of the thigh. The quadriceps are the strongest muscle group in the body and heavily affect a person’s gait, and the hamstrings are responsible for hip extension and bending of the knee.

“The two muscle groups act as counterforces, and the balance between them enables a wide range of activities while protecting the knee joint,” Upadhyay Bharadwaj said in a statement. “An imbalance, in addition to other factors, leads to a change in the biomechanics, resulting in the progression of osteoarthritis.”

Upadhyay Bharadwaj compared the thigh muscle volume of 134 participants from the Osteoarthritis Initiative, a nationwide study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. All the participants had osteoarthritis, with half having undergone total knee replacement of a single knee and the other half not having surgery on either knee.

By studying MRI images, Upadhyay Bharadwaj and her colleagues determined that a higher ratio of quadricep muscles — relative to the hamstrings — was “significantly associated with lower odds of total knee replacement surgery in two to four years.”

This study focused on people with arthritis, but Upadhyay Bharadwaj said everyone could benefit from thigh-strengthening exercises.

University of Chicago student Garrett Chalfin tells us how he created New York Times Sunday crossword puzzles

2023-11-24T14:59:16.256-06:00

Garrett Chalfin, a first-year student at the University of Chicago, says he loves finding time to create crossword puzzles like the one that appears in Sunday’s Sun-Times.

At 19, Garrett Chalfin has landed his second crossword puzzle in a Sunday edition of The New York Times — an impressive feat for a cruciverbalist of any age.

Chalfin — whose puzzle also appears in Sunday’s Chicago Sun-Times — worked on it for more than a year before submitting it last spring, during his senior year of high school.

A New Yorker who’s now a first-year student at the University of Chicago and figuring out what to major in, he balances puzzle-making with classes.

This is his fourth puzzle, second for a Sunday. He has five more puzzles that have been accepted and will be running in the future.

When did you start creating crossword puzzles?

At summer camp. I went to a very sporty athletic camp, and I was a nerdy, academic child. I got along quite well with my sportier peers, but we didn’t really have an activity that we could both partake in and enjoy. I found that solving crossword puzzles was a good way for us all to connect and have fun together.

Even though I was maybe 12 or 13 at the time, I said, “What if I make one?” So I made a very crummy crossword puzzle and sent it to [New York Times puzzle editor] Will Shortz, and it was politely but very quickly rejected.

Then, during COVID, I had some more free time on my hands, and I was bored in June of 2020. I was just scrolling on my computer and seeing if there were any things for me to do, and I came across the crossword software I downloaded those years ago. I started playing around with it again.

What went into this puzzle?

One day, I heard “right on the money.” I thought that would be a good way to clue a turning puzzle, which is where answers from the puzzle turn between multiple answers. I let it stew for about a year.

Getting a puzzle accepted in The New York Times is quite challenging, and this type of turning genre is one of those tried-and-true genres. The burden to get one published is quite higher because they want something new or a little different. So I spent a lot of time thinking about how I could make the puzzle particularly refined

How do you balance this with being a student?

I think crossword puzzles are almost an ideal hobby for me because I genuinely find it incredibly fun. In the same way that playing video games might be fun or playing your favorite sport might be fun, crossword puzzles are that equivalent to me.

What’s the reaction of your classmates or professors?

I don’t think any of my professors know about it. I enjoy that. I like having my little secret life.

It was quite funny a couple of weeks ago, in one of my classes, someone walked up to me and said they solved my crossword puzzle.

I also have made quite a few friends through crossword puzzles. On campus, The Chicago Maroon [newspaper] has their own crossword section. So I’ve been able to meet other people who are interested in constructing there.

I’ve also been able to meet other people who really like solving puzzles and who kind of already knew that I existed just by virtue of keeping up with who gets puzzles published in The New York Times. And some of them have ended up being some of my best friends because turns out people that love crosswords tend to have quite a lot of other things in common.

Is this something you hope to do more in the future?

If I got a stable crossword editing position, it would be hard for me to turn that down. I even more so view crosswords as a lifelong hobby and something that I will enjoy doing when I’m 80, hopefully even older than 80.

All you need to write a crossword puzzle is a computer or, if I have enough time, a pencil and paper. So whether I’m on a plane, in Chicago or anywhere around the world that has Wi-Fi, I’ll be able to write a crossword puzzle. And that’s very cool.

Edgewater man started creating crossword puzzles to ward off pandemic boredom, gets published by The New York Times

Logan Square neighbors shocked after bodies of boy, 6, and man, 40, found in home

2023-11-22T06:22:28.423-06:00

A home in the 3500 block of West Lyndale Avenue in Logan Square, where authorities said Chicago police conducting a well-being check found the bodies of a 6-year-old boy and a 40-year-old man, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Neighbors along West Lyndale Avenue were shaken up Wednesday following the discovery of the bodies of a 6-year-old boy and a 40-year-old man in a quiet, family-friendly Logan Square community.

Police conducting a well-being check found Samuel Cano, 6, and Josean D. Cano, 40, about 10:20 p.m. Tuesday in a bedroom of a home in the 3500 block of West Lyndale Avenue, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

They had been there for an unknown amount of time and were in an “advanced state of decomposition,” police said.

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Timothy Kleszczewski, who has lived on the block since 2005, said he was awoken last night to the sounds of an ambulance and fire truck but did not think much of it. He did not know the residents of the home personally but said there were often kids playing out in the yard — they always stopped to say hi to his 6-month-old puppy.

Kleszczewski, along with other neighbors, were shocked by the news and described the block as safe and quiet with lots of families living there.

“It’s upsetting,” said a man walking past who was running late for work and didn’t have time to give his name. “It’s a quiet, peaceful block.”

Both the boy and the man were pronounced dead at 10:40 p.m., the medical examiner’s office said. As of Wednesday evening. autopsy results were pending.

Discarded crime scene tape hangs outside a home in the 3500 block of West Lyndale Avenue in Logan Square, where authorities said Chicago police conducting a well-being check found the bodies of a 6-year-old boy and a 40-year-old man, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Earlier Wednesday afternoon, there was still yellow crime tape dangling off the staircase leading to the back entrance to the second floor. The front window of the second-floor unit was left wide open and a cat was walking around inside.

Area 5 detectives are conducting a death investigation.

Firefighter Andrew ‘Drew’ Price remembered for a life ‘worth emulating’

2023-11-20T18:34:47.007-06:00

Jordan Price kisses his mother, Rochelle Price, on the head after the funeral for Chicago Fire Department firefighter Andrew “Drew” Price. Price’s funeral was held Monday at the Aon Grand Ballroom at Navy Pier.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

As Truck 44 drove through the streets of Lincoln Park, children would wave and the engine's lead driver, Andrew “Drew” Price, would respond with his signature shaka sign — a gesture for expressing thanks.

For Price, gratitude was a way of life.

“He gave a piece of himself to each and every person he encountered,” Jordan Price said at his brother’s funeral Monday morning. “Drew lived a life worth emulating, and as his lasting legacy, I hope he inspired you to live a life full of gratitude.”

Price, 39, died Nov. 13 battling an extra-alarm blaze in the 2400 block of North Lincoln Avenue.

It was just after 5 a.m. and Price and his colleagues were preparing to head home after working overnight.

A call came in of a fire in a four-story building, and Price and his crew swung into action, Capt. John Haring recalled Monday.

Price quickly put his Truck 44 crew to work, “without hesitation” heading up to the roof of the building to open holes for ventilation.

When they got to the roof, Price turned to a crew member and pointed out the sun rising over the skyline in the distance and said, “Mahalo brah, let's get to work.”

“Drew always took time to see the best parts of life, the parts that many of us never notice,” Haring said. “Drew, you are very, very special.”

Price fell through the shaft of a skylight and landed on the basement floor, officials said.

He was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he died of “significant injuries,” according to Fire Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt.

Chicago Fire Department personnel salute as pallbearers for firefighter Andrew “Drew” Price carry his remains onto a fire engine. Colleagues remembered Price for his infectious personality and zest for life.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

On Monday morning, hundreds gathered at Navy Pier to express gratitude for the time they had with Price, who grew up in Indiana. His wife, Lara Price, stood alongside his mother, Rochelle, and his four siblings — a tight-knit crew known among friends as “The Fabulous Five.”

Before the service, members of the Chicago Fire Department, Chicago Police Department and suburban police and fire agencies gave Price his final salute. Nance-Holt noted it was one of the longest walk-throughs that she had ever seen.

“His personality and zest for life was infectious, his impact on his fellow brothers and sisters will live forever,” Nance-Holt said. “What I know about Drew is he brought people together. He brought different races, different classes, and different people together. He cared … he made an impact on all of our lives.”

Members of Andrew “Drew” Price’s Engine 55 crew on Monday. Capt. John Haring is standing and showing the shaka sign at left.

Provided

Price joined the fire department in 2009 and spent the past decade at Engine 55, working his way up to lead driver of Truck 44. He was also an instructor at the academy.

Engine 55 crew members described Price as genuine, big-hearted and hard-working. He was always the first to the firehouse in the morning, always looking out for others and checking in after a long day.

He had a way of making everyone around him happier, fellow members said, and was the ultimate jokester, often hiding under the beds of coworkers, waiting to jump out and scare them.

Anytime you saw Price, even if it was just for a couple of minutes, “(he’d) text as soon as he got in the car how great it was to see you,” his close friend and fellow firefighter Dustin Johnson said.

Price adopted the saying “mahalo,” a Hawaiian expression of thanks and gratitude, during a solo trip to Hawaii.

Mahalo became a signature phrase and the shaka sign his go-to greeting or pose.

Price’s battalion chief, Patrick Gallagher, admitted that at first he did not understand the shaka or “hang-loose” sign.

“To be honest, my simple mind went to what part of Indiana are Hawaiians living in, but I finally looked it up,” Gallagher said. “It’s a symbol of gratitude or thank you. The shaka is rarely if ever used in a sarcastic manner. It’s kept sincere and pure, just as it should be. Sincere and pure — to me that's who Drew was.”

Price is the fourth Chicago Fire Department member to die in the line of duty this year.

Chicago Fire Department Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt hands a folded Chicago flag to firefighter Andrew “Drew” Price’s wife, Lara Price. Price died Nov. 13 while battling a fire in Lincoln Park.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Chicago Fire Department personnel salute as pallbearers for firefighter Andrew “Drew” Price carry his remains onto a fire engine after his funeral.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Why was there equipment on the tracks? Passengers on CTA train crash have unanswered questions

2023-11-17T19:55:17.525-06:00

A person is taken away via ambulance Thursday after a Chicago Transit Authority train crashed into a piece of equipment that was on the rails near the Howard CTA station on the North Side.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Donald Wheeler was a passenger on the Yellow Line train that rear-ended a snowplow Thursday near Howard Street. He feels lucky to have walked away from the crash.

He was on his way downtown from Skokie for lunch at the time, and not far from the operator.

As the train, which had slowed from full speed, curved into the rail yard, he heard a “screeching and a bam.” The operator was knocked backward and fell through a metal partition and onto the train floor.

“The force of the collision was so impactful, the next thing I saw was the operator on the floor of the train screaming in pain,” Wheeler, 59, said, adding the man had severe leg injuries.

Also in the car were two young women who, like Wheeler, declined medical attention, and a family with two small kids who appeared to be “bruised or scratched.” There was also a man who appeared to be in his mid-60s who had cuts on the top of his head and his forehead.

“But the big mystery to me is, why was the snow removal equipment on the tracks on a 61-degree sunny day?” Wheeler asked.

It is unclear why the crash, near the Howard Street station, occurred. In all, 38 people were injured — 23 taken to hospitals, three in critical condition, and the other 15 declining medical attention at the scene.

Service on the Yellow Line remained suspended Friday.

“We are working to restore service as soon as possible,” read an alert posted on the CTA’s website. “We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.” The transit agency urged commuters to allow extra time for travel.

Shuttle bus service is available between Howard and Skokie/Dempster, serving all affected stations during normal hours of operation.

National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy (right) and investigator=in-charge Jim Southworth speaking to reporters at a CTA facility in Skokie on Friday.

Violet Miller/Sun-Times

Federal investigators on site

“It’s really early in the investigation,” Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, told reporters Friday during at news briefing at the CTA’s Skokie Shop facility. “Today was about collecting what we could and documenting the scene.”

Homendy said investigators would gather “just facts and perishable evidence” before the line reopens — which she said would take about five days, though a reopening date wasn’t confirmed. And while a preliminary report would come in a few weeks, a full report could be months or even more than a year away.

As for CTA riders who might fear a repeat crash, Homendy said rail transportation is “incredibly safe” — safer than traveling by car.

“We’re entering the holiday season, and a lot of people rely on the Yellow Line ... so it’s going to be an inconvenience,” U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., said by telephone Friday. Her district includes the crash site.

She added she was eager for the NTSB to complete its investigation, which could probe whether an automatic braking system — not required on the CTA — could have prevented the crash.

Margaret Costello, with her daughter Caroline Costello and her father Stephen Helmer outside Costello’s Skokie home on Friday. Costello said Caroline and her twin brother were strapped into a stroller, which probably saved the toddlers’ lives.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Toddlers’ first L ride cut short

Margaret Costello was on the train with her 2-year-old twins and her parents. Her twins love trains, and they, too, were all heading downtown for lunch.

“This was the first time I’ve taken the L in a few years,” Costello, 31, said. “My 2-year-olds love choo-choo trains, and this was going to be their first choo-choo train ride. We almost took them out of their stroller to look out the window, but changed our mind, and we’re very happy we kept them strapped in.”

The family was seated near the back of the first train car. Suddenly, there was a bang, and she and her parents were thrown forward. Her mother smashed her face into what they think was a pole.

“The twins were actually the least injured; we kept them strapped in the stroller, so that kind of saved them,” Costello said, adding that they only suffered “bumps and bruises.”

Costello was uninjured, but her father, Stephen Helmer, suffered a concussion and needed 12 staples to close a gash in his head. Her mother, Susan Helmer, suffered contusions to her face, leg and arm, a laceration to her face, and chipped teeth. Her parents, both 65, were released from the hospital late Thursday.

“We’re very fortunate and grateful that we're doing well and were very concerned about the people that were in the front of the train, including the conductor,” Helmer told the Sun-Times.

The whole family was impressed by the swift work of emergency crews and the number of passengers willing to help others in the aftermath.

Alishan Zaidi, injured during the CTA train crash, outside his apartment in Des Plaines on Friday. Zaidi said he was on his way to school when the train crashed. He said he walked away from the accident with an injured right leg and left arm.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

‘Trying to reassure people that they were going to be OK’

Alishan Zaidi, a 19-year-old health sciences student at DePaul, was one of several who rushed to check on people who were injured.

He was on his way to class, sitting in one of the seats closest to the operator in the front car when he heard something “odd” he’d never heard before.

“The weird thing that I heard is that after an underpass, as we started to pass the bend, I heard the brakes start to be hit, and afterward, I heard a screech for a couple seconds,” Zaidi said.

Immediately after the impact, he yelled out for people to call 911, then dialed the number himself and reported the accident.

Not feeling physically hurt, Zaidi began searching through the car for anyone injured.

He noticed the operator pinned in the wreckage. After the operator freed himself, Zaidi saw he had blood on his head and a deep gash in his right thigh.

“I was at least trying to assure people that they were going to be OK,” Zaidi said. “I did the best I could to at least diagnose people of what their injuries were, at least do my best as a standard civilian.”

Zaidi declined medical attention at the scene, but said his leg and arm have been aching since after the adrenaline rush wore off. His leg hit a metal bar, and he has a little pain in his arm from the sudden movement during the impact.

Stephen Helmer holds his granddaughter Caroline Costello in his daughter’s home in Skokie on Friday, one day after the CTA Yellow Line train he was riding in crashed into a snowplow. He, his wife, his daughter and two grandkids were injured in the crash.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Two lawsuits — so far

At least two people have filed lawsuits, including Matt Jones, 67, of Skokie, and Cleon Hawkins, 52, of Chicago. Both were taken by ambulance to local hospitals after the crash, according to Clifford Law Offices, which filed the cases.

Helmer, who is an attorney, said it is “premature,” for him and his family to look into legal action, but “somebody is going to have to answer for this.”

“We’re certainly looking forward to the official findings that’ll probably come from the NTSB because this should never have happened,” Helmer said.

Margaret Costello holds her son Joseph Costello in their home in Skokie on Friday, one day after they were injured in a CTA Yellow Line train crash. Costello said the stroller her twins were strapped into saved their lives.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

CTA train crash leaves dozens, 3 critically, injured in Chicago

2023-11-16T20:42:52.126-06:00

The National Transportation Safety Board announced that it was looking into the crash of a CTA Yellow Line train Thursday near the Howard Street station. Preliminary reports indicate a southbound train struck a slow-moving snowplow on the tracks.

Ashlee Rezin Sun-Times

UPDATE: ‘Screeching and a bam’: Passengers have questions, no answers on why CTA train crash happened

A Yellow Line train crashed Thursday into a slow-moving snowplow on the tracks near the Howard station on the North Side, injuring at least 38 people, three of them critically. Four children, the youngest being 2, were injured, suffering “bumps and bruises.”

None of the injuries was life-threatening.

But the chaotic scene near the Far North Side station just hours after the morning rush hour jarred commuters and passersby alike.

As passengers were led off the train, some were brought into a triage center lined with stretchers to be assessed. One passenger was bleeding heavily from the head. A family with a young child in a stroller who were let off the train talked to police on a nearby street corner, planning to follow an injured family member to the hospital.

Shayla Smith, who was headed to work in Wilmette, said she had just boarded a Purple Line train at Howard when she heard the collision. Passengers on her train began screaming, and she saw an elderly woman nearly fall out of her seat, she said.

Authorities gather at the crumpled front of a CTA train that crashed Thursday morning near the Howard Street station.

Chicago Fire Department

“I just heard like a horrible boom sound,” she said. “It was like a weird boom sound. It felt like we’re gonna tip over, and I was wondering what’s going on.”

“My body shivered,” she said, adding that the experience was “traumatizing.”

Twenty-three people were taken to hospitals, and 15 refused care, officials said. The CTA operator, who was near the point of collision, was among the most critically injured.

A spokesperson for Illinois Masonic Medical Center said the hospital is treating three patients from the crash. One person is in serious condition and the other two are in fair condition.

Swedish Covenant Hospital treated six people, who were all in good condition, according to a spokesperson.

About 10:35 a.m., the fire department received a report of a “train vs. train” incident in the CTA yard, said Robert Jurewicz, Fire Department 2nd District chief, during a media briefing at the scene.

Many ambulances and fire crews line up by the site of the crash near the Howard station on Thursday.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Firefighters found that the southbound train and snowplow were on the same tracks when the train hit the plow about 300 yards from the station in the 7500 block of North Paulina Street, officials said. Officials did not indicate why the plow was on the tracks.

“We have no idea how fast the train was moving,” fire department spokesman Larry Langford said.

After the crash, all trains were stopped, the power was shut off, and the 31 riders and seven CTA staff members were evacuated from the area.

“Our thoughts are with all affected, and we are grateful for our brave first responders on the scene,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement. “We are working closely with emergency services as we continue to monitor this incident.”

Ald. Maria Hadden (49th), whose Far North Side ward includes the Howard Street station, said she has been in close communication with police and with Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss.

“Being so close by, we were hearing all of the fire trucks and ambulances, then the news helicopter,” she said, adding that she had not heard preliminary reports from the CTA about the cause of the crash. “Obviously, there are questions about the equipment. But right now, it’s all questions. I haven’t even heard speculation.”

Chicago fire and police personnel triage patients at the scene of a CTA train crash Thursday morning near the Howard Street station.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

The cause of the crash remains under investigation, CTA officials said.

The National Transportation Safety Board announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, that it would conduct an investigation.

CTA Yellow Line service remains suspended near the Howard station. Red Line service, which had been suspended between Howard and Thorndale, was delayed through midafternoon Thursday. Purple Line service has returned to normal.

The first lawsuit associated with the crash was filed Thursday. Cleon Hawkins, a 52-year-old Chicago man who was hospitalized after the crash, sued the CTA in Cook County Circuit Court. The suit alleges the “commuter train was operated negligently,” according to a news release issued by the firm representing him, Clifford Law Offices.

CTA train crashes are uncommon. In 2019, a southbound Brown Line train collided with a southbound Purple Line train near the Sedgwick station in Old Town. Fourteen people were taken to hospitals in good condition.

In 2014, a CTA operator dozed off on a Blue Line train before crashing into O’Hare International Airport, and 32 people were injured. The accident caused $9.1 million in damage, and sparked several lawsuits and a federal investigation.

A woman sits up surrounded by emergency workers at the scene of the CTA train crash near the Howard Street station.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Two emergency worker wheel a patient on a stretcher from the train crash near the Howard CTA station.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Yellow Line trains were temporarily suspended. Red Line service was stopped through mid-afternoon. Purple Line trains were briefly halted.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Contributing: David Struett, Emmanuel Camarillo, Fran Spielman

Extra-alarm blaze at New City warehouse extinguished; no injuries

2023-11-16T10:08:51.822-06:00

Firefighters put out an extra-alarm blaze at a warehouse at 4118 S. Halsted St. Thursday morning.

ABC-7 News

Firefighters extinguished an extra-alarm blaze Thursday morning at a warehouse in New City on the South Side.

The fire at the Evans Food Group warehouse, at 4118 S. Halsted St., began about 8:30 a.m.

By about 9 a.m., the fire had spread to multiple buildings and was elevated to a three-alarm blaze. Firefighters used a “surround and drown” method, pouring three master streams of water onto the buildings.

“Had to get a lot of water on it,” Chicago Fire Department spokesperson Larry Langford said.

No one was injured.

This is a developing story. Check back for details.

Funeral services for firefighter Andrew ‘Drew’ Price set for Monday at Navy Pier

2023-11-16T09:27:51.591-06:00

A growing memorial for fallen Chicago Firefighter Drew Price sits outside Chicago Fire Department’s Engine 55 firehouse in Lincoln Park, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023.

Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Time

Chicago fire officials have announced funeral arrangements for firefighter EMT Andrew “Drew” Price, who died battling an extra-alarm blaze earlier this week in Lincoln Park.

Services for Price will be held Monday, Nov. 20, in the Navy Pier Grand Ballroom, according to officials.

There will be a private visitation at 9 a.m. and a public visitation from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., followed by a Chicago Fire Department walk-thru.

The public service will begin at noon and will be televised.

Chicago firefighter Andrew Price

Chicago Fire Department

Monday morning, Price, 39, was on the roof of a four-story building in the 2400 block of North Lincoln Avenue opening holes for ventilation when he fell through the shaft of the skylight, landing on the basement floor, according to officials.

He was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he died of his injuries.

Price joined the department in 2009 and was assigned to Engine 55 and Truck 44 for the last decade.

“He was a lovely man,” his battalion chief, Michael McCormack, said. “He was as sweet as can be. He took extremely good care of himself and his family. He was extremely healthy. He was a light of sunshine.”

Price is the fourth Chicago Fire Department member to die in the line of duty this year.