Illinois State Police special agents arrested a Joliet man on Thursday on felony aggravated DUI and reckless homicide charges, nearly seven months after a late-night crash on Interstate 55 in Will County killed a 26-year-old Bourbonnais woman. Timothy A. Waldvogel, 36, of Joliet, was taken into custody on October 29 by agents of the State Police Division of Criminal Investigation, Zone 1, the agency said in a press release.

Source: Illinois State Police

Waldvogel faces two counts of aggravated DUI causing death, a Class 2 felony, and two counts of reckless homicide, a Class 3 felony. The charges stem from a crash in the early hours of April 5, 2026, on I-55 southbound near Channahon, in which the driver of the other car, Melissa E. Prosser, died.

Source: Illinois State Police

The night of the crash

At about 3:14 a.m. on April 5, 2026, State Police troopers responded to a crash on Interstate 55 southbound, just south of Bluff Road in Channahon, Will County — the stretch of the interstate marked as mile marker 246. According to investigators, Waldvogel was driving a Dodge Challenger southbound near Bluff Road when it struck the rear of a gray Mazda.

Source: Illinois State Police

Prosser, who was driving the Mazda, was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. The Will County Coroner's Office said she was transported to St. Joseph's Medical Center in Joliet and was pronounced dead just before 4:15 a.m.; the coroner's office conducted an autopsy that Sunday and did not immediately release further details. Waldvogel and a passenger in his car were also taken to an area hospital with injuries, police said.

Source: Will County Coroner's Office via Joliet Today

Seven months of investigation

The arrest did not come at the roadside. State Police criminal investigators spent nearly seven months on the case before presenting it to the Will County State's Attorney's Office on October 28, 2026. Prosecutors approved charges and an arrest warrant was issued the same day. On October 29, special agents located Waldvogel and took him into custody. He was processed and released pending his first court appearance; the State Police did not announce a date for that appearance.

Source: Illinois State Police

What the charges mean under Illinois law

Aggravated DUI causing death is charged under Section 11-501(d)(1)(F) of the Illinois Vehicle Code. To convict, prosecutors must prove not only that the driver was under the influence, but that the DUI violation was a proximate cause of the death. Illinois legal references describe it as a Class 2 felony carrying 3 to 14 years in prison for a single death, with at least 85 percent of the sentence to be served, and probation available only in extraordinary circumstances. Reckless homicide, the second charge, is a Class 3 felony under Illinois law. The State Police release did not state what substance investigators believe impaired Waldvogel, and no blood-alcohol figure has been made public.

A corridor our truckers drive every night

Interstate 55 is the main freight artery between Chicago and St. Louis, and the stretch through Will County runs past one of the largest inland logistics hubs in North America, centred on Joliet. Thousands of trucks — including many driven by Punjabi truckers based in the Chicago area — move through Channahon and Joliet every night. The crash happened at 3:14 a.m., in the overnight hours when impaired-driving crashes are most common, and the case is a reminder of why police run DUI enforcement hardest after midnight.

What happens next

Waldvogel has been released pending his first appearance in Will County court; the date had not been announced as of Thursday. The case will move through the Will County court system in Joliet, where a judge will set the schedule for arraignment and further hearings. Awaaz Punjab will update this story as court dates and filings become public.