Man killed in Beach Park drag race identified

BEACH PARK, Ill. - A man who died while drag racing another driver Sunday afternoon in north suburban Beach Park has been identified.

The 60-year-old was racing a Ford Mustang against a Mazda 3 sedan around 3:45 p.m. in the southbound lanes of Sheridan Road when he struck a Honda SUV that was trying to make a left turn on Yorkhouse Road, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

The man was transported to Vista East Medical Center in Waukegan where he was pronounced dead. He was identified by the Lake County coroner's office as Steven Cielesz of Waukegan. He died from blunt force injuries.

The driver of the Honda suffered minor injuries in the crash.

The driver of the Mazda, a 26-year-old Zion man, did not strike anything but is considered part of the crash because of contributing to the drag race.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Unit is continuing to investigate.