Le Journal

A serious, multi-vehicle crash on I-57 in Calumet Park early Wednesday morning turned deadly after a separate car crashed into three people standing at the scene, with multiple others injured and all northbound lanes shut down for hours as traffic backed up to the south suburbs for the rush hour commute. According to Illinois State Police, the incident began just after midnight, with with a three-vehicle crash in the northbound lanes of I-57 just south of 120th St. As three occupants from the initial crash were outside of their vehicles, a second crash occurred, ISP said, with a car that was not involved in the initial crash striking the three standing at the scene. The three were confirmed dead on the scene, ISP said. At least five others were transported to a nearby hospital with non-life threatening injuries. As of 6 a.m. all northbound lanes of I-57 at 120th were currently shut down, with a detour in place at 119th. Traffic was backed up as far as West Pullman, Blue Island, Posen and beyond, NBC 5 traffic reporter Kye Martin said. “It’s locking you in as you come in from the south suburbs,” Martin said. “This is going to be a long time.” According to ISP, the crash was cleared about 7:50 a.m.

Suburban police issued a warning about porch pirates on the prowl, as shoppers awaited Black Friday and Cyber Monday deliveries. In one recent incident, a Ring doorbell camera captured the moment a thief stole multiple packages from the porch of a Clarendon Hills residence, just as the homeowners were preparing to pull into their driveway. Sarah DePasquale and her family were returning home from vacation when they spotted the thief and his getaway driver in a red SUV. “Oh my God, he’s putting all the packages in his bag!” DePasquale recalled. The accomplice honked the horn as the porch pirate took off running. “They got spooked, the driver warned him, gave him a couple honks to warn that we were pulling in, then he ran,” DePasquale stated. Eight packages were stolen, mostly Christmas gifts and winter boots. The mom of two is now warning neighbors and the Chicago area to watch out this season. “You definitely feel violated, nervous going to bed last night,” she said. “Know that’s not what it was about – but you’re still nervous. It’s your property, and somebody has encroached upon it.” The next few days will be some of the busiest for package deliveries – and then again the week before Christmas. To avoid porch pirates, Amazon recommends doorbell cameras, selecting a designated delivery day and always bring packages inside. Clarendon Hills police shared additional suggestions of their own in a Facebook post: Use a locking drop box Request signatures to confirm delivery Ask drivers to place packages out of sight Ship to a secure location if you won’t be home Choose ship to store pickup In addition, be aware of your surroundings and know that many porch pirates tail delivery trucks. “When we looked through the ring video footage from earlier in the day, you could see he canvased by the house several times,” DePasquale said. If you see a thief on your porch, don’t confront them, and instead call 911. Clarendon Hills police are searching for the porch pirate and his accomplice.

An investigation was underway on Tuesday after an officer in suburban Aurora fired a gunshot while responding to a call of a police impersonator. Police said at approximately 9:33 a.m., someone called 911 and said a person in a vehicle claimed to be law enforcement, displayed a gun and tried to get them to pull over. Officers responded and located both vehicles at 4th Avenue and South State Street, where the driver in question was standing outside of his car, authorities stated. During an encounter with the driver, an Aurora police officer fired their gun once, striking the man’s vehicle, according to police. No injuries were reported. As a precaution, Aurora Fire Department paramedics responded to the scene, evaluated the man and determined he was not injured. Aurora police said they determined the man, a 48-year-old Aurora resident, didn’t have any affiliation with law enforcement. He was taken into custody pending further investigation. Following the gunshot, officers canvassed the area for potential witnesses and surveillance footage. The officer involved was taken to an area hospital in line with department protocol, police said. As of Tuesday evening, an investigation into the officer’s actions was being conducted by the department’s Deadly Force Investigative Team. Anyone with information on what occurred was asked to contact the Aurora Police Department’s Investigations Division at 630-256-5500.

A contractor removing snow on Monday evening in suburban Naperville was killed when a train struck the equipment he was operating, officials said. The incident was reported at the Naperville Metra Station, 105 E. 4th Ave., city officials said in a news release. Authorities said a contractor working for the city was operating snow removal equipment on the station’s platform when the equipment was hit by an eastbound freight train. The contractor was pronounced dead from his injuries, city officials stated. “This is a profound tragedy, and on behalf of the City of Naperville, I extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends,” Naperville City Manager Doug Krieger said in a news release, in part. “Our employees and contractors deliver vital services to the community daily, and their safety is of paramount importance to us. The loss of life in this manner is heartbreaking…” Metra police were conducting an investigation into the incident.

The Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers will battle in a nationally televised showdown at Soldier Field this month, and we now know when the game will be played. In fact, the game will be the first primetime showdown played between the teams at Soldier Field in the last several years, and will mark the second time the teams will play in a span of less than two weeks. The NFL announced Tuesday that the game between the Bears and Packers will be played on Saturday, December 20 at 7:20 p.m., with the contest airing nationally on Fox. The league had announced prior to the season that the Bears and Packers would play a Saturday game before the Christmas holiday, but waited until this week to set the game time between the NFC North rivals. According to the NFL, the primetime kick between the Bears and Packers later this month will be the first nighttime kickoff between the teams at Soldier Field since Week 1 of the 2019 season. The game between the Bears and Packers that will be played at Lambeau Field on Sunday had also been flexed to a 3:25 p.m. kickoff, giving the two teams some big time slots for their games. Needless to say, there is plenty on the line as the Bears and Packers renew acquaintances at Lambeau Field this weekend. The Bears are currently tied for the best record in the NFC with the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks, and would be the No. 1 seed in the conference if the season were to end today. The Bears are aiming for their first playoff appearance since the 2020 season, and are looking to capture the NFC North crown for the first time since the 2018 season. They also are looking to continue the momentum they built from beating the Packers in the final game of the 2024 season at Lambeau Field, a win that snapped an 11-game losing streak to Green Bay. As for those Packers, they are also humming along this season with an 8-3-1 record, coming into the game with a top-five defense on the season, allowing just 284.8 yards per game. They also have a top-six scoring defense in the league, and are hoping to keep Caleb Williams and the Bears’ offense in check. The game is especially important for playoff seeding purposes. If the Bears can pull off a second straight win in Green Bay, they would open up a 1.5-game lead on the Packers and would own a tiebreaker over their bitter rival, putting themselves in prime position to secure a playoff appearance in coming weeks. A loss would drop the Bears to 9-4 on the season, and would put them back in a wild card spot, facing road games to start the postseason if they were to reach the playoffs. Sunday’s game between the Bears and Packers will air on Fox.