- Taeyoung Kim, 21, is accused of causing an accident that killed 17-year-old Marko Niketic.
- Kim was driving her 2021 Ford Mustang at a speed of 131 mph in a 35 mph zone
- Police say his blood alcohol level was well over the legal limit.
A Chicago man was arrested for crashing his Mustang into a car that killed the 17-year-old driver and left his 16-year-old girlfriend fighting for her life.
Taeyoung Kim, 21, was arrested for allegedly causing an accident that killed Marko Niketic, a senior at Glenbrook South High School on May 12.
The accident also left both passengers in each car hospitalized in critical condition.
Kim has been charged with multiple counts including aggravated driving under the influence resulting in death, reckless homicide and driving under the influence.
Marko Niketic, a senior at Glenbrook South High School, died in a car accident on May 12.
Taeyoung Kim, 21, was arrested for allegedly causing the accident.
According to police, Kim was driving her 2021 Ford Mustang on East Lake Avenue at a speed of 131 mph in a 35 mph zone when she collided with Niketic at an intersection, leaving the victim’s silver Mercedes split in half.
The defendant’s dashboard camera had allegedly captured him driving recklessly before the crash, prosecutors said.
Niketic was pronounced dead at the scene, while Kim was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Police said Kim’s blood alcohol level was well above the legal limit.
Kim was driving her 2021 Ford Mustang on East Lake Avenue at a speed of 131 mph in a 35 mph zone when she crashed.
The victim’s silver Mercedes split in half after the accident
Witness Nathan Clark described: ‘He was probably going about 90 (miles per hour) every time he accelerated in front of me.
‘If I had to guess, he said it flat out and turned off the lights.
‘There was no reason for it. I don’t think it was like road rage or anything like that. “I think he just wanted to go fast and was being reckless.”
The Niketic family has launched a GoFundMe to help raise awareness about the tragedy.
Niketic’s girlfriend suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage, a brain hematoma, a fracture of the pelvic vertebrae and a hyperdensity of the left frontal lobe of the brain with loss of consciousness and seizures due to the accident.
Preston Shute, a close friend, said: “He was the most genuine human being I have ever met.”
“That was my best friend and it’s really hard to process right now.”
Inessa Kaufman, a family friend, also said: “It’s really heartbreaking, I’ve never seen anything like this with a car like that, it’s unrecognizable.”
Niketic’s girlfriend suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage, a brain hematoma, a fracture of the pelvic vertebrae and a hyperdensity of the left frontal lobe of the brain with loss of consciousness and seizures due to the accident.
According to court documents, she was released from the hospital on Friday.
