Man charged with murder in deadly wrong-way crash on Dan Ryan Expressway
An Aurora man has been arrested on kidnapping and murder charges, after a deadly wrong-way crash last week on the Dan Ryan Expressway.
Illinois State Police arrested 29-year-old Juan Ruiz Huerta on Monday. He's been charged with three counts of murder, and one count each of aggravated battery, kidnapping, and unlawful restraint, along with multiple traffic violations.
Police said Huerta was driving north on the Dan Ryan on Friday, when he got into a fight with 28-year-old Victory Swanigan.
At his first court appearance on Monday, Cook County prosecutors said Huerta had been pursuing Swanigan romantically for several months, and referred to her as a girlfriend.
After picking her up from having her hair done, prosecutors said he got angry with her about the status of their relationship and began arguing with her.
After coming up on traffic congestion and police lights near 31st Street, Swanigan shouted at a police car for help, and Huerta turned around and headed south in the northbound lanes at a high rate of speed.
At the time, Swanigan was on a FaceTime call to a friend, who heard Swanigan pleading with Huerta to slow down and let her out, telling him she had three children who she wanted to see again.
CTA surveillance cameras along the Red Line, which runs down the center of the Dan Ryan, captured Huerta's car swerving between multiple lanes as he sped through oncoming traffic, entering the express lanes while still going the wrong way, before colliding head-on with an oncoming car.
Prosecutors said the collision caused Huerta's car to go airborne and flip over the concrete median between and land in the local lanes.
Swanigan was pronounced dead at the scene. Huerta and the other driver were critically injured, but survived.
Prosecutors said a review of the black box from Huerta's car showed he was driving 86 mph approximately 5 seconds before the crash, and 78 mph at the time of impact, with no indication he was pressing the brakes.
Prosecutors said Huerta admitted to intentionally driving in the wrong direction on the Dan Ryan and ignoring Swanigan's pleas to stop, claiming "he'd had enough of her lies and that heartache led him to this."
"He stated that he put her in danger to get an answer from her" about the status of their relationship, prosecutors added.
At his first court appearance on Monday, a judge ordered Huerta held in jail while he awaits trial. He is due back in court on Aug. 19.
Prosecutors said he has three past convictions for speeding that resulted in a suspension of his license.
