Man Charged in Fatal Forest Park Hit-and-Run

Joel Mendoza charged with leaving the scene of a fatal motor vehicle accident

A 21-year-old Berwyn man was arrested in connection with a hit-and-run crash that killed a bicyclist over the weekend in suburban Forest Park.

Joel Mendoza was charged with leaving the scene of a fatal motor vehicle accident and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.

He was transported to the Cook County Fourth Municipal District Courthouse in Maywood for a bond hearing.

Jeffery Schultz, 40, was riding in the right lane of Harlem Avenue near 14th Street on Sunday night when he was struck from behind.

A driver who witnessed the crash said the other vehicle came up quickly from behind, going perhaps 50 MPH in the 35 MPH zone.

"He pretty much got knocked off his bike. He laid up in the grass. Me and a couple of other residents around here and a couple of other drivers got out to check to see if he was OK. He was not responsive at all," Stephen Lewis said.
 

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