Driver Charged in Fatal Hit-and-Run in Tinley Park

Photo: Jacqueline Cummings | Tinley Park Police

A 21-year-old Oak Lawn woman has been charged with reckless homicide following a fatal hit-and-run accident that occurred in the early morning hours of July 18 in the 19100 block of Oak Park Avenue.

Police said Jacqueline Cummings was driving her 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee on Oak Park Avenue just east of Harlem Avenue at 12:16 a.m. when she struck a pedestrian, sideswiped a police car and then fled the area. Police already were at the scene handling a separate traffic accident when the hit-and-run occurred.

The pedestrian, Maria Domantay, 54, of Greenwood, Ill., was transported to Silver Cross Hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead.

In addition to reckless homicide, police also charged Cummings with failure to report an accident involving death, failure to yield the right of way to an emergency vehicle, improper lane use, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, failure to signal and use of a wireless phone in an emergency zone.

“Several officers have worked nearly non-stop since the accident to locate evidence and witnesses, which led to the arrest,” Tinley Park Police Chief Steve Neubauer said. “This case is a tragedy on many levels. It is our hope that this arrest gives the family closure.”

Cummings will appear in bond court at 1 p.m. today at the Bridgeview Court House.