STORY YOUMISSED
A northwest suburban woman faces multiple felony charges following a two-year investigation into a fatal hit-and-run crash on Chicago’s North Side.
The tragic incident began late on the night of Saturday, August 17, 2024, in the West Ridge neighborhood.
Sixty-seven-year-old James Reed Tillman had just parked his vehicle and was crossing the street in the 1900 block of West Howard Street toward the Tally-Ho pub alongside his two nephews.
As they crossed around 11:30 p.m., a black pickup truck approached at a high rate of speed.
Witnesses reported that the speeding pickup veered toward Reed Tillman and struck him in the roadway.
The impact dragged Reed Tillman roughly six feet down the street before the driver accelerated away eastbound.
Reed Tillman’s 27-year-old nephew desperately chased the fleeing truck on his scooter, but he could not catch up.
Emergency responders rushed to the scene and found Reed Tillman suffering from a fractured femur, severe head scrapes, and internal bleeding.
An Evanston ambulance transported him to St. Francis Hospital, where medical staff pronounced him dead at 11:59 p.m.
Responding Chicago police officers reviewed neighborhood surveillance footage and tracked the pickup truck to the 1100 block of West Lunt Avenue in Rogers Park.
Officers located the truck shortly before midnight and took a person into custody.
However, police released that individual without filing criminal charges, leaving the investigation open.
Over the next two years, Reed Tillman’s family publicly pleaded for answers and urged law enforcement to bring justice to the case.
Family members remembered Reed Tillman as a vibrant, joyful father of two and grandfather of four who grew up near Evanston Township High School.
His relatives recalled how much he loved sports, singing old-school rap, and dancing to James Brown at family gatherings.
Chicago police detectives and traffic crash investigators continued analyzing physical evidence and gathering information over the multi-year period.
Investigators eventually identified 20-year-old Joscelyn Mercado of Streamwood as the driver operating the pickup truck that night.
Officers located Mercado on Wednesday in the 0-100 block of East Pine Street in Streamwood and took her into custody.
Cook County prosecutors officially charged Mercado with four felony counts of aggravated DUI involving an accident and death.
Prosecutors also charged Mercado with one felony count of leaving the scene of an accident involving injury or death.
Mercado was transferred to the Leighton Criminal Court Building for a scheduled detention hearing.
