Police Pursuit Ends in Crash Near Orangeville

An attempted traffic stop led to a high-speed police pursuit Monday night through rural Stephenson County, ending in a crash near Orangeville.

According to the Stephenson County Sheriff’s Office, the incident began around 10:25 p.m. when a deputy attempted to stop a vehicle on Rock City Road near Rock City after noticing it did not have a visible registration plate. The driver failed to stop and fled.

The pursuit continued for approximately 11 miles, with speeds reaching more than 100 mph. Deputies successfully deployed stop strips, deflating all four tires and significantly slowing the vehicle.

The pursuit ended near Orangeville when the vehicle left the roadway while negotiating a curve and struck a large rock. The driver exited the vehicle as deputies approached and was taken into custody. Neither the driver nor deputies were reported injured.

Scanner traffic during the incident indicated the vehicle caught fire following the crash. Officers on scene were able to initially extinguish the fire, and Orangeville Fire was paged to respond.

The Stephenson County Sheriff’s Office identified the driver as Jonathan Alpizar of Monroe, Wisconsin. Alpizar was charged with felony aggravated fleeing to elude a peace officer, misdemeanor resisting a peace officer, and misdemeanor speeding 35 mph or more over the posted speed limit, along with additional traffic offenses.

Alpizar was processed at the Stephenson County Jail and released with a future court date in accordance with Illinois law.

The charges are allegations, and Alpizar is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

Source: Stephenson County Sheriff’s Office and initial scanner communications.