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21-year-old passenger dies after car runs red light in Joliet: police

By Lauren Westphal
Published  February 21, 2026 3:45pm CST
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 32 Chicago

The Brief

    • A 21-year-old Joliet man was killed early Saturday when the car he was riding in crashed into a semi at Channahon and Houbolt roads, police said.
    • Investigators say the Mercury Grand Marquis ran a red light and struck the semi, whose driver was unharmed; the 20-year-old driver of the car suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
    • The crash remains under investigation, and authorities are asking anyone with information or footage to contact Joliet police.

AURORA, Ill. - A 21-year-old man has died after a deadly crash with a semi on Saturday, according to Joliet Police.

What we know:

Around 2:46 a.m., police responded to a report of a crash with injuries at the intersection of Channahon Road and Houbolt Road.

An investigation revealed that a Mercury Grand Marquis, driven by a 20-year-old Joliet man with a 21-year-old Joliet male passenger, was traveling east on Channahon Road approaching Houbolt Road. According to witnesses, the vehicle disregarded a red traffic signal and hit a semi-tractor trailer, driven by a 68-year-old Palos Park man, that was traveling north on Houbolt Road through the intersection on a green light.

The driver of the Mercury was transported to St. Joseph Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries, while the driver of the semi-trailer was unharmed.

The passenger of the Mercury was pronounced dead at the scene by the Will County Coroner's Office. He has not yet been identified.

The roads were closed for several hours during the investigation.

The crash remains under investigation.

Anyone with information or footage should contact the Joliet Police Department Traffic Unity at 815-724-3010.

The Source: Details for this story were provided by the Joliet Police Department.

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