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Suburban woman cleared after plate-reading error leads to wrong red-light citation
Two vehicles appeared to share the same license plate number, but investigators later determined the plates were different.
CHICAGO - Two vehicles appeared to share the same license plate number, but investigators later determined the plates were different.
The case began when Susan Bonini received a red-light camera ticket in the mail earlier this month.
What we know:
The citation alleged Bonini ran a red light in the 5600 block of West Irving Park Road in Chicago on Dec. 5, 2025, at 2:22 p.m. But Bonini said the vehicle in the image was a black Chevrolet SUV, while she owns a green Subaru and has not been to Chicago in years.
The Illinois Secretary of State’s Office reviewed the case and determined the license plate had been misread.
"After running different variations of the plate, we identified a vehicle matching the make and model listed on the ticket that has the same plate digits," the office said.
At first glance, the plate number appeared to match Bonini’s: 2339197. Bonini noticed, however, that the number 9 on her plate has a straight vertical line, while the 9 on the offending vehicle curves at the bottom.
Further review showed the first character on the plate did not match. It was a "Z," not a "2."
Red-light camera citations are generated using automated license plate recognition technology and reviewed by a person before a ticket is issued.
What's next:
The Secretary of State’s Office said it will formally notify the Chicago Police Department of the error.
RELATED: Same license plate, different cars: Suburban driver fights red light ticket
The Source: The information in this article was reported by FOX Chicago's Tia Ewing.