Press Release

DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and Bartlett Chief of Police Patrick Ullrich announced today that a Bartlett teen has been charged in a juvenile petition with two counts of Reckless Homicide, a Class 3 Felony, following a fatal crash that claimed the lives of two Bartlett High School teens, Alex Czerwik and Cameron Kelty, both sixteen-years-old. On August 25, 2021, the State filed an original delinquent petition formally charging the teen. The initial court appearance for the teen and his parents is scheduled for September 30, 2021, in front of Judge Anthony Coco.  

It is alleged that on August 3, 2021, the teen was driving his mother’s car with three friends northbound on Newport Boulevard when, according to the petition, he “accelerated rapidly, drove at a high rate of speed in excess of 100mph without regard to existing traffic conditions, and failed to decrease speed adequately when approaching the curve at Devon Avenue.” It is alleged that the teen then drove off the road where Newport Boulevard curves into Devon Avenue. It is alleged that the vehicle crashed into a utility pole, killing Alex Czerwik, who was seated in the front passenger seat, at the scene. All occupants of the vehicle were transported to area hospitals for medical attention. On August 6, 2021, Kelty passed away due to injuries sustained in the crash. It is alleged that at times the teen was driving in excess of 100 mph and in excess of 80 mph at the time of the crash.

“The tragic loss of two young men who were friends of the teen just rips your heart in two,” Berlin said. “On behalf of the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office, I extend our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Alex Czerwik and Cameron Kelty as they try to piece their lives back together after such a devastating loss. I thank the Bartlett Police Department for their work on this tragic case as well as the MERIT Major Crash Reconstruction Team for their efforts. I also thank Assistant State’s Attorney Louisa Nuckolls for her extended efforts on this case.”

Members of the public are reminded that this complaint contains only charges and is not proof of the defendant’s guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove his or her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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