A tragic incident in Zion, Illinois has culminated in a woman being released from custody after initially being detained. The woman, accused of livestreaming on TikTok while driving, allegedly hit and killed a pedestrian in the northern suburbs, as revealed by court documents.
Note: The video above is from a prior news update.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office reported that Tynesha McCarty-Wroten was arrested on Tuesday in connection with the fatal accident that occurred in November. She now faces serious charges related to the incident.
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The collision took place on November 3rd around 5:46 p.m. at the intersection of Sheridan Road and 33rd Street, according to Zion police. Authorities stated that a 2015 Ford Edge, driven by McCarty-Wroten, hit a pedestrian at the crossing.
The victim, identified as 59-year-old Darren Lucas, tragically lost his life at the scene, as confirmed by Zion police.
McCarty-Wroten remained at the location following the crash and promptly contacted emergency services by dialing 911, according to police reports.
McCarty-Wroten’s charges include Reckless Homicide and Aggravated Use of an Electronic Communication Device, officials said.
The suspect was ordered to be held in custody pending her trial when she appeared in court Wednesday morning. However, after a preliminary hearing Friday, she was released from custody with conditions, according to court records. It was not yet known what the conditions are.
On Nov. 7, police began an investigation regarding “a video that has surfaced on social media related to this incident.”
“Investigators are currently following up on investigative leads to verify the validity of the video,” police said.
In an update Wednesday afternoon, Zion police said their investigation revealed McCarty-Wroten was “allegedly live-streaming herself on TikTok” at the time of the deadly crash.
“In the days following the crash, numerous members of the public reached out to Zion Investigators to inform them of a TikTok video that allegedly showed Ms. McCarty-Wroten live-streaming herself driving at the time of the crash,” the update from police read in part. “The video was preserved and verified through extensive investigation, including the execution of multiple search warrants and analysis of electronic data.”
McCarty-Wroten is scheduled to be back in court Jan. 27.
No further information was immediately available.
