Horror as handsome high school jock, 17, is killed and his girlfriend, 16, fights for her life after ‘drunk driver’ slammed into them at 131 mph in his Mustang that split their car in HALF
- Taeyoung Kim, 21, is accused of causing a crash that killed Marko Niketic, 17
- Kim was driving his 2021 Ford Mustang at 130 mph in a 56 mph zone
- Police say his blood alcohol level was well above the legal limit
A Chicago man has been arrested for crashing his Mustang into a car, killing the 17-year-old driver and leaving his 16-year-old girlfriend fighting for her life.
Taeyoung Kim, 21, was taken into custody for allegedly causing a May 12 crash that killed Marko Niketic, a senior at Glenbrook South High School.
The crash also left both passengers in each car hospitalized in critical condition.
Kim has been charged with multiple charges, including aggravated drunken driving causing death, reckless homicide and driving under the influence of alcohol.
Marko Niketic, a senior at Glenbrook South High School, was killed in a car accident on May 12
Taeyoung Kim, 21, was taken into custody for allegedly causing the crash
According to police, Kim was driving his 2021 Ford Mustang on East Lake Avenue at 130 mph in a 56 mph zone when he collided at an intersection with Niketic, causing the silver Mercedes to crash. victim was torn in two.
The suspect’s dashboard camera showed 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 his 2021 Ford Mustang on East Lake Avenue at 130 mph in a 56 mph zone when he collided
The victim’s silver Mercedes was torn in half after the crash
Witness Nathan Clark described: ‘He was probably going about 90 (miles per hour) when he was speeding in front of me.
“If I had to guess, he put the floor down and turned off his lights.
‘There was no reason for it. I don’t think it was road rage or anything. I think he just wanted to be fast and was reckless.”
Niketic’s family has a GoFundMe to help raise awareness of the tragedy.
Niketic’s girlfriend suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage, hematoma in the brain, a fracture of the pelvic vertebrae and hyperdensity of the left frontal lobe of the brain with loss of consciousness and seizures as a result of the crash
Preston Shute, a close friend, said, “He was the most genuine human being I ever met.
“That was my best friend and it’s very difficult to process now.”
Inessa Kaufman, a family friend, also said: “It’s really heartbreaking, I’ve never seen anything like that with a car like that, it’s unrecognizable.”
Niketic’s girlfriend suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage, a cerebral hematoma, a fracture of the pelvic vertebrae and a left frontal lobe hyperdensity, with loss of consciousness and seizures as a result of the crash.
She was released from the hospital on Friday, according to court documents.