Police say the 20-year-old’s car went airborne from a frontage road before landing on the interstate.
ROMEOVILLE, IL — A 20-year-old Romeoville man was killed early Thursday when his car left a frontage road at high speed, went airborne and burst through a concrete sound barrier before landing on northbound Interstate 55 near Route 126, authorities said.
Officials said the crash halted northbound traffic for hours during the morning commute and drew multiple police and fire agencies. Investigators identified the driver as Johnathan Wenzel. Another driver on I-55 struck the crashed vehicle and was hospitalized with injuries described as not life-threatening. Illinois State Police assisted Romeoville police with traffic control and the initial response as crews worked to clear debris and assess damage to the barrier wall.
Romeoville police said the wreck began around 4:30 a.m. on Frontage Road near mile marker 260. Wenzel was driving a red Ford Fusion westbound when he hit a curve, went airborne and crashed through the wall that separates the roadway from the interstate. The vehicle dropped onto I-55’s northbound lanes and was then hit by a black Ford SUV. Firefighters from the Plainfield Fire Protection District cut Wenzel from the wreckage, but he died at the scene. “Seeing that huge hole, and seeing all the police officers, it was really heartbreaking,” said Danielle Rivera, who lives nearby and woke to the response before dawn.
Authorities said the SUV driver’s injuries were serious but not life-threatening and no other injuries were immediately reported. Police noted debris spread across multiple lanes and a visible gap in the barrier wall where the car broke through. Investigators closed northbound I-55 between U.S. 30 and Route 126 during the morning rush as crash reconstruction teams documented marks on the frontage road, measured the breach in the wall and examined the final rest positions on the interstate. Officials did not immediately release the SUV driver’s name. The exact speed involved and other contributing factors remained under review Thursday.
The location has heavy commuter traffic and sits near residential areas screened by sound walls along the highway. Neighbors said the curve on Frontage Road has been a trouble spot in bad weather and during overnight hours. By daylight, the jagged opening in the concrete wall and scattered vehicle parts were visible from passing traffic. The northbound closure triggered long delays extending toward Bolingbrook and Plainfield, while village officials routed drivers onto a detour at U.S. 30 and Weber Road until lanes began to reopen around midday.
Police said the investigation is ongoing, with Romeoville detectives and crash reconstruction specialists collecting witness statements and reviewing available video from nearby properties. An autopsy was expected through the Will County coroner’s office. No citations or charges were announced as of Thursday afternoon. Transportation officials were notified of the damage to the barrier; authorities did not provide a timeline for repairs. All northbound lanes reopened by 12:42 p.m., after about eight hours of closures tied to the crash investigation and cleanup.
Drivers stuck in the gridlock described extended standstills and a steady line of emergency lights along the shoulder. From overhead, the breach in the wall appeared as a rectangular gap with crumbled edges and a debris field fanning across the right lanes. “This impacts you as you commute in from Joliet, from Plainfield,” a traffic reporter said during morning updates that warned of backups well before the detour. By late morning, only one lane was moving past the scene as crews swept the roadway and loaded damaged vehicles onto flatbeds.
As of Thursday evening, Romeoville police said the case remained under active investigation, with findings to be forwarded to the Will County State’s Attorney if needed. Officials said they would release additional details when available. The sound barrier breach and crash damage were documented for engineering review, and traffic had returned to normal patterns. The next update from authorities is expected after the coroner’s office completes its preliminary report.
Author note: Last updated January 9, 2026.