A 19-year-old man from Fox River Grove, Illinois, has pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol after a high-speed crash killed two teenage siblings in McHenry.
Jason Land entered his guilty pleas on Wednesday, more than a year after the collision at the intersection of Richmond Road and McCullom Lake Road on 28 July 2025.
Prosecutors said Land was driving a 2012 Audi A4 south along Richmond Road at close to 100mph at about 12.20am when it struck a Nissan Sentra carrying 18-year-old Perla Tejeda and her 14-year-old brother.
The Nissan was travelling through the junction with the right of way, according to the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office. Tejeda became trapped inside the vehicle, while her brother was ejected in the impact.
Both teenagers died at the scene from injuries sustained in the crash.
Land was taken to Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital for treatment. A blood test carried out within an hour showed his blood-alcohol concentration was 0.28, prosecutors said.
Sentencing for aggravated DUI plea
McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi Freese said the case demonstrated the “irreversible consequences” of driving after drinking.
“Two young lives were taken in an instant because of a completely preventable act,” she said. “No sentence can restore these children to their family or erase the unimaginable loss their loved ones continue to endure.”
Freese added that her office would support the victims’ family and seek a sentence reflecting the seriousness of the crash.
Land is due to be sentenced at 1.30pm on 9 October. No sentence has yet been imposed.
