Illinois high school senior killed weeks before graduation by alleged drunk driver going over 120 mph: report
A high school senior was killed just weeks before graduation when a suspected drunk driver, speeding at over 120 mph, split his car into two during a crash in a Chicago suburb.
Marko Niketic, 17, was driving with his 16-year-old girlfriend in Glenview, IL when a sports car struck their vehicle at an intersection just after 11 p.m. on May 12.
The driver, Taeyoung Kim, 21, had been driving his 2021 Ford Mustang with a passenger from his home in Northbrook to downtown Chicago and back earlier in the day, according to court records obtained by NBC Chicago.
“The investigation revealed at 2308 hours (11:08 p.m.) on May 12, Kim drove his vehicle westbound on East Lake Ave, at a high rate of speed in a reckless manner,” the Glenview Police Department said.
Kim’s car crashed into Niketic as the teen was making a left turn through the intersection of East Lake Ave and Meadow Lane, approximately 20 miles northwest of Chicago.
Kim had been racing past other cars going westbound on Lake Ave, with one driver noting Kim increasing speeds and turning his headlights off.
“As Niketic began turning, Kim’s vehicle approached the intersection at an immense rate of speed, still with the headlights off,” the court documents allege. “Just as Kim was entering the intersection, the headlights turned back on as Kim’s vehicle crashed into Niketic’s vehicle.”
The front of Kim’s car struck the driver’s side of Niketic’s vehicle, splitting it into two.
The front half of Niketic’s sedan remained in the road, with the back half being sent flying through a nearby fence and landing in a backyard.
Kim’s car, which had a dashcam recording his joyride, came to a halt near a tree on the side of the road.
Witnesses inside the homes near the scene of the crash immediately called 911 before rushing to the scene and observed Niketic inside his vehicle, appearing to be deceased, Kim’s bond court proffer read.
Other witnesses observed Kim sitting inside his car and admitted he had been drinking, while his passenger was lying on the ground bleeding heavily, WMAQ reported.
The teen was pronounced dead at the scene.
His girlfriend and Kim’s passenger were both rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
Niketic’s girlfriend, who remains unidentified, suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage, hematoma of the brain, a fracture of the pelvis vertebrae and hyper-density of the left frontal lobe of the brain with loss of consciousness and seizure.
She was released from the hospital on Friday.
Kim’s passenger sustained a fracture to his back and a severed artery in the crash.
Kim suffered a broken femur, and a blood-drawn test concluded he had a blood alcohol level of .088, the test also revealed he had cannabis in his system.
During their investigation, police found a bong, rolling papers, a one-hitter cannabis pipe with residue and two plastic containers with cannabis residue inside Kim’s vehicle.
Kim was arrested on Friday and charged with two counts of aggravated DUI causing death, reckless homicide, aggravated DUI causing great bodily harm, DUI of alcohol, DUI of drugs, and several traffic violations including speeding 35 mph over the limit.
He appeared in court on Saturday.
Kim is being held without bond, and his next court date is scheduled for May 24, according to jail records viewed by The Post.
Niketic’s funeral was held on Thursday, two days before his high school, Glenbrook South, held its prom.
Niketic was set to graduate on June 2.
“He’s one of those people, you meet him, and he’s glowing. The most genuine human ever,” friend Preston Shute told NBC Chicago. “He had a lot of stuff ahead of him. I can’t really process it.”
