Driver Of Car Engulfed In Flames After Fatal Crash IDed: Aurora Police

AURORA, IL — The driver who died in a fiery single-car crash on South Broadway Street Jan. 13 has been identified as a 27-year-old man from Aurora, police said in an update.

Israel Mueller, of South Lincoln Avenue, was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said positively identifying the man took a "considerable amount of time" due to the nature of the crash.

Police responded to the scene, at the intersection of South Broadway Street and East Benton Street, after receiving a report of a crash with injuries at 2:16 a.m. Jan. 13. When they arrived, they found a car engulfed in flames, officials said.

Based on an investigation, detectives believe the driver was traveling south on Broadway when the car crashed into a cement pillar supporting a railroad overpass at a high rate of speed, according to police.

A portion of Broadway was closed — with traffic patrol by Aurora's Emergency Management Agency — for several hours while Aurora Police Department's Traffic Unit conducted an investigation into the crash.