A Chicago man who prosecutors say sped through a stop sign, fatally struck an 81-year-old bicyclist, and then fled the scene is facing charges but will remain free while awaiting trial.
Edgar Carrera, 37, is accused of fleeing after a deadly collision that claimed the life of longtime Southwest Side resident Andrzej Gromada. Prosecutors said Gromada, 81, was riding his blue bicycle west on 56th Street near Rutherford Avenue on October 15, 2023, when Carrera allegedly ran a stop sign in a black Mercedes SUV and struck him.
Gromada was thrown to the pavement and knocked unconscious. He died the next morning. A witness told police the SUV that struck him stopped briefly, then sped off.
CPD’s Major Accident Investigation Unit recovered Gromada’s damaged bicycle at the scene along with an Illinois license plate they found on the pavement. They quickly traced the plate to a Mercedes registered to Carrera’s girlfriend, prosecutors said.
Officers visiting the home allegedly found the vehicle in the garage with a dented hood, a piece of plastic stuck in its grill, and blue paint streaks on the bumper that seemed to match Gromada’s bicycle.
Prosecutors said Carrera initially told detectives he thought he struck a pothole. But DNA swabs from the SUV’s interior pointed to him as the driver, and forensic testing confirmed the blue paint from the Mercedes matched the chemical makeup of Gromada’s bike, according to the allegations. Officials said Carrera eventually admitted he was behind the wheel but continued to deny he hit a person.
Assistant State’s Attorney Mike Pekara told the court that Carrera never reported the crash, never returned to the scene, and only acknowledged driving after investigators confronted him with the evidence.
Judge Ankur Srivastava denied a petition Pekara filed to keep Carrera in custody and instead released him pending trial.
