Bystander Chased, Tackled Driver Who Fled After Fatally Hitting New Lenox Native: Prosecutors

CHICAGO, IL — A Chicago man who struck and killed a New Lenox native in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood fled on foot after the crash and was tackled by another citizen, prosecutors said in court Tuesday. The man had only attained his driver's license in February 2026, prosecutors said.

The driver lost a shoe and dropped his keys in the scuffle but successfully escaped and evaded authorities for several hours, prosecutors said.

Miroslaw Ciszek, 34, has been charged with aggravated DUI/accident/death, leaving the scene of an accident with injury/death, driving under the influence of alcohol and DUI alcohol/intoxicating compound/drug in the death of Sarah Milcarek, 25.

The incident took place just before 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, in the 1400 block of West Irving Park Road, Chicago Police said. Prosecutors on Tuesday said that Ciszek's Nissan Altima and license plate were captured on surveillance video seconds before the crash, heading west on Irving Park and stopping at a red light at Irving Park and Southport.

According to prosecutors, the car is seen continuing on Irving Park Road and, seconds later, less than two blocks west of Southport, Milcarek was crossing Irving Park Road on foot when Ciszek's vehicle approached "at a high rate of speed" and struck her.

The impact, prosecutors said, "propelled the victim into the air," causing her to land on the rear windshield.

Prosecutors said Ciszek then continued to drive west before crashing into a witness' vehicle at the red light at the corner of Irving Park and Ashland. The witness got out of his car to exchange information and observed the driver of the Nissan "to appear frantic and trying to reverse away from the crash," the Cook County State's Attorney's Office said in a petition to deny pre-trial release.

Ciszek "then reversed back and attempted to drive off, veering right and then into a tree," prosecutors said. Those events were captured on surveillance video from Lake View High School, which is at that intersection, prosecutors said.

He then got out of the car and fled on foot, according to video footage.

A bystander approached the driver of the car Ciszek struck, telling him that Ciszek had just struck a pedestrian.

According to prosecutors, the two men then began to chase Ciszek, with one tackling him to the ground and the other calling 911. In the struggle, Ciszek reportedly dropped his keys and lost one of his shoes, a Croc, court documents said.

Prosecutors said the keys were later recovered and contained the keys to the Nissan involved in the fatal hit-and-run.

Paramedics arrived where the car had been abandoned, removed Milcarek from the vehicle and brought her to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead, prosecutors said.

At 12:45 a.m. on Aug. 9—more than 3 hours after the incident—Chicago Police officers were touring the area looking for Ciszek when they spotted him in a park on Hermitage. Aware of the description of the driver involved in the hit-and-run, they noted that Ciszek matched it, down to the blue shirt and missing shoe, according to officials.

Prosecutors said he was still wearing the right Croc when they located him.

Ciszek gave the officers his name, which matched that on the registration of the Nissan. He was then placed into custody and transported to the hospital, where a blood draw taken at 4:16 a.m., nearly seven hours after the crash, revealed a BAC of .088, prosecutors said.

"From the time [Ciszek] fled his vehicle until his arrest, he made no attempt to call emergency services or report the crash," prosecutors said.

Prosecutors sought to have Ciszek detained, citing a criminal history that included a 2024 battery arrest and previous traffic arrests, including speeding 15-25 mph over the limit in 2015, disregarding a traffic control device in 2016, and no seatbelt in 2016 and 2017. The first two traffic incidents resulted in supervision, the latter in convictions. All four incidents took place before a driver's permit or license was issued, prosecutors said. A driver's permit was issued in 2018, followed by another conviction for no seatbelt. A driver's license was issued in February 2026.

Cook County Circuit Judge D'Anthony Thedford on Tuesday rejected prosecutors' petition to deny pre-trial release, and issued Ciszek released on electronic monitoring.

He was ordered not to drink excessively.