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Motorist commits suicide through crash  Share
A motorist speeding through Peotone on Aug. 31 continued speeding south through Manteno and ended his life in a single-vehicle crash. The driver, Nethaniel Thomas Moore, 24, of Manassas, Va. crashed his GMC Jimmy at 7:04 p.m. into an oak tree near the intersection of Route 50 and N. 2000E Rd. just south of Manteno, according to an Illinois State Police report. ''The driver was recorded as driving 55 miles per hour as he came through Peotone,'' said Peotone Police Chief Bill Mort. ''He ran the stop light at Route 50 and Wilmington Road and one of our officers continued following him, not at an alarming rate, trying to get him to stop.'' The license plate of the vehicle was traced to an owner in Virginia. ''The plate didn't show that the person who owned the car would be in a mental state of concern,'' Mort said. When the vehicle driven by Moore entered Manteno, two Manteno Police squad cars joined in the pursuit. By then, Moore was driving about 60 miles per hour.
''Thankfully, he hit all green lights as he went through Manteno,'' Mort said, otherwise he could have struck another motorist at an intersection. At 2000E Rd., Moore seemed to deliberately aim for a large oak tree, according to Manteno police. The accident was captured on video from several police vehicles. Moore was pronounced dead at the scene. Once his body was extricated from the vehicle, his driver's license was found. Running his information through the National Crime Information Center, Moore was noted as a missing person. According to Kankakee County Coroner Bob Gessner, Moore was believed to be dangerous and suicidal. He disappeared from Manassas, Va. a week prior to his death, Manteno police said. An autopsy was set for Sept. 2 and a toxicology examination was planned. Open beer cans were found in the back seat of the vehicle, according to Gessner. ''Some people think that police officers are overly protective when they stop someone for a simple moving violation,'' Mort said. ''But this situation goes to show that you never know the mental state of a driver. Not everyone is an average person receiving a moving violation ticket. ''This was a tragic event,'' Mort added, ''and we are fortunate that officers and members of the public were not harmed.'' Tracy Ahrens is a reporter for Russell Publications.
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