Victim identified in I-290 explosion last week: officials
Man identified in I-290 explosion last week
Officials have identified the man who died in an explosion that shut down I-290 in the west suburbs for hours last week.
WESTCHESTER, Ill. - The man killed in an explosion that shut down I-290 last week in Westchester has been identified, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.
Jorge Vaca, 47, of Cicero, was identified as the individual who died on June 4.
The backstory:
Police, a bomb squad and federal agents responded Thursday to a death investigation on the Eisenhower Expressway, prompting the closure of Interstate 290 in both directions near Interstate 294 for about eight hours.
The investigation began about 10:05 a.m. in the westbound lanes of I-290 near the I-294 interchange, according to Illinois State Police.
Traffic was halted in both directions between 25th Avenue and Mannheim Road, leaving drivers stranded for miles. Police also closed the eastbound I-88 ramp to I-290.
Authorities responded to a stopped vehicle, identified as a Volkswagen Atlas with Illinois license plates, on the westbound side of the expressway near Mannheim Road. The vehicle was covered by a tarp, and its windows appeared to be blown out.
Explosion killed one on the Eisenhower Expressway Thursday
We have new information tonight about what happened when law enforcement closed a major stretch of the Eisenhower Expressway for hours Thursday morning. What authorities first described as a vehicle investigation is now being called an explosion that left one person dead.
By about 11:30 a.m., a bomb squad unit was on scene and began approaching the vehicle and opening its doors.
Westchester police said there was "no threat to the area related to this incident."
Dig deeper:
The FBI announced Friday that a coordinated investigation involving the ATF, Illinois State Police and other agencies found that the incident on the Eisenhower Expressway in Westchester was an explosion resulting in a single fatality.
Investigators said there is no evidence linking the explosion to any other event and no indication that any other individuals were involved.
What's next:
The vehicle was removed from the scene Thursday evening, and all lanes of I-290 later reopened. The investigation remains ongoing.
The Source: Details for this story were provided by previous Fox Chicago reporting and the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.