Crime & Safety
Geneva Man Pleads Guilty for Crash Causing Death of Friends
The 22-year-old crashed into a water-filled quarry in Naperville. He escaped the car, but left his friends behind.
Photo: Michael T. Szot
Written by Scott Viau
A Geneva man whose car crash caused his friends to drown in a water-filled quarry in Naperville has pleaded guilty to aggravated driving under the influence.
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According to a report from the Chicago Tribune, Michael T. Szot, 22, was driving with friends Mihirtej Boddupalli, 21, of Lisle, and Sajaad Syed, 21, of Naperville, when he lost control of his car and went into a 40-foot-deep lake near downtown Naperville.
Szot was able to get out of the car and swim to shore, the article reports, but could hear his friends screaming.
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Police said that Szot had been drinking heavily and smoking marijuana the night of the crash. They also said Szot made no attempt to save his friends and at one point told police he was not driving.
Szot now faces a prison term of 6 to 28 years for causing their deaths.
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