Fox River Grove man pleads guilty in DUI crash that killed teen siblings
Jason Land, 19, of Fox Grove, Illinois.
MCHENRY COUNTY, Ill. - A Fox River Grove man pleaded guilty Wednesday to two counts of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol after causing a crash last summer that killed two teenage siblings, according to the McHenry County State's Attorney's Office.
The backstory:
Prosecutors said 19-year-old Jason Land was driving an Audi at about 100 mph in McHenry around midnight on July 28, 2025.
At the same time, an 18-year-old woman and her 14-year-old brother were driving through an intersection with the right of way when Land's Audi struck their vehicle.
The woman became trapped inside the vehicle, while her brother was ejected. Emergency crews responded, but both teens died from injuries they suffered in the crash.
Land was taken to Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital for treatment. A blood test performed within an hour of the crash showed his blood alcohol concentration was .28, prosecutors said.
State's Attorney comments
What they're saying:
"This case is a devastating reminder of the irreversible consequences that can result from the decision to drink and drive," McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi Freese said in a statement.
"Two young lives were taken in an instant because of a completely preventable act. No sentence can restore these children to their family or erase the unimaginable loss their loved ones continue to endure. Our office will stand with the victims’ family and will seek a sentence that reflects the extraordinary gravity of this tragedy."
Upcoming sentencing
What's next:
Land is scheduled to be sentenced at 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 9.
The Source: Information from this report was retrieved from a statement put out on Facebook by the McHenry County State's Attorney's Office. It was written in Eden Prairie, Minnesota by Maureen Breslin.