McHENRY COUNTY, IL — Illinois Conservation Police are asking the public to help identify a boat and its occupants who may have information about the July 25 fatal boating crash on the Fox River, following the filing of upgraded charges against the man accused in the collision.
Richard M. Stevenson, 45, of Lisle, was indicted last week on first-degree murder and eight additional charges stemming from the crash that killed 48-year-old Magdalena Jablonska of Des Plaines.
Prosecutors allege Stevenson was operating a high-powered pontoon boat at more than 75 mph while intoxicated when it struck the boat carrying Jablonska and her fiancé, Alen Telmini, in a no-wake zone on the Fox River near McHenry.
Jablonska, a U.S. Marine veteran, died in the collision, while Telmini was seriously injured.
Investigators are specifically trying to identify a boat, its owner and its occupants seen in a bystander video recorded around 11 a.m. on Petite Lake before the fatal crash.
Police said the boat and its occupants are not believed to have been involved in the fatal crash.
Instead, investigators believe the people aboard the boat may have witnessed activity or have information that could be relevant to the ongoing investigation.
The video showing the boat is available on YouTube.
Anyone who recognizes the boat or its occupants, or who has additional information, is asked to submit a tip through the Illinois Conservation Police online tip portal.
Officials emphasized that the occupants are being sought solely as potential witnesses and are not suspected of any wrongdoing.
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