Teens Killed in Car Wreck Linked to Attack on Elderly Man

HIGHLAND PARK, IL - The two people killed in Sunday morning’s fatal accident in Highland Park have been linked to an attack last week in the south suburbs in which an elderly man was targeted while he was setting up Christmas decorations in his front yard.

Mike Dudlo, Division Chief for the Burbank Police Department in the south suburbs, said both of the deceased passengers of the car that struck a tree on Oakwood Avenue around 4:30 a.m. were the suspects in the robbery of a Burbank resident on Thursday, Dec. 3, according to The Burbank Beat.

“One of these subjects has been positively identified as an offender in last week’s robbery,” Dudlo said. “The other subject was not identified, however he matches the description of the accomplice in the robbery.”

Joseph Belcher, 19, of Chicago has been identified as one of the crash victims. The other has yet to be identified.

In last week’s incident, the elderly man was attacked while he was putting up Christmas decorations outside by two men, who were stopped by a good Samaritan who came to the aid of the victim.

The driver of the vehicle in the crash a few days later was Leonard A. Lemons, 18, of the 5300 block of Cottage Grove in Chicago, the same street where the car used in the crash was reported stolen from. Lemons, who was not implicated in the Burbank incident, survived the crash and was found at the Central Train Station in Highland Park shortly after the crash, police in Highland Park said in a Tuesday news release.

Dudlo said the victim of the attempted robbery was informed of the deaths of the two suspects.

“The elderly victim in our incident was pleased to hear the offender has been removed from the streets,” he said.