One dead after car veers off Edens and catches fire in Northfield

An accident on the Edens Expressway in Northfield last week left one man dead, according to an incident report from the Northfield Police Department.

The Cook County Medical Examiner identified the deceased as Juan Jonathan Barbosa-Gomez, 31, of North Chicago.

The report states that Northfield police assisted Illinois State Police and the Northfield Fire-Rescue Department after a vehicle veered off Interstate 94, the Edens Expressway, just before midnight on July 15. 

According to the report the vehicle was traveling northbound just south of Willow Road in Northfield when it went left the roadway and traveled through the highway’s fencing. The vehicle came to a stop in the backyard of a home on the 200 block of East Frontage Road, where it burst into flames.

Northfield Fire Department worked to extinguish the flames, and one individual was found deceased in the front passenger’s side.

Barbosa-Gomez was pronounced dead on July 16. According to his obituary, he was the father of a 2-year-old son. The family has set up a GoFundMe to help cover funeral expenses and support his son. 

Visitation services for Barbosa-Gomez are from 4-9 p.m. on Friday, July 26, at Symonds Funeral Home, 858 Sheridan Road in Highwood.

Illinois State Police are continuing to investigate the crash. The manner and cause of Barbosa-Gomez’s death are pending from the medical examiner’s office.

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