Peter Swenson DUI Crash: Charges, Release, and Next Steps

The Peter Swenson DUI crash killed 27-year-old Eglin Manuel Castro Alvarez and critically injured his 7-year-old daughter in Oak Lawn, Illinois, early on January 7, 2025. Swenson, 19, was driving a 2022 Lincoln at nearly 94 mph with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.153 when he struck Alvarez’s Toyota at Southwest Highway and Cicero Avenue. He has been charged with three felonies and was released from custody under strict conditions pending trial.¹

How the Crash Happened

At about 3:08 a.m., Swenson was driving southwest on Southwest Highway when his Lincoln T-boned Alvarez’s Toyota on the driver’s side as Alvarez crossed the intersection on Cicero Avenue.²³ Data from the Lincoln’s black box showed Swenson had hit 93.9 mph on Southwest Highway, braked for roughly four seconds, then accelerated back to 87 mph at the moment of impact.¹

The impact pushed Alvarez’s Toyota more than 100 feet into a vacant oil-change business at 4821 West Southwest Highway. Swenson’s Lincoln came to rest on top of another vehicle at the southwest corner of the intersection.⁴ A witness told investigators they had to swerve into the oncoming lane moments earlier to avoid being hit by Swenson’s car.¹

Who Was Killed and Injured

Eglin Manuel Castro Alvarez, 27, of Midlothian, Illinois, was pronounced dead at Advocate Christ Medical Center.³⁵¹

The Charges Against Peter Swenson

Swenson faces three felony counts: reckless homicide, aggravated driving under the influence, and driving under the influence causing death.⁶ His blood alcohol concentration was measured at 0.153, nearly twice Illinois’s 0.08 legal limit, and he was two years under the state’s legal drinking age. Prosecutors said Swenson told officers at the scene he had been drinking espresso martinis and was “joyriding.”⁴

Standard reckless homicide is a Class 3 felony in Illinois, carrying a sentence of two to five years in prison, and aggravating factors such as driving under the influence can increase that penalty.⁷

Why Swenson Was Released Before Trial

At a January 9, 2025 detention hearing before Cook County Judge Linzie Jones at the Bridgeview Courthouse, prosecutors argued Swenson posed a severe public danger, citing his speed, blood alcohol level, and underage drinking. An assistant state’s attorney told the court Swenson “can’t be trusted to follow Illinois laws, so he is a danger to the community.”¹

His defense attorney pointed to Swenson’s lack of criminal history, his enrollment at Moraine Valley Community College, and his role as a caregiver for his father, and clarified that he lived in Palos Heights rather than Chicago as initially reported.¹

Judge Jones denied pretrial detention and granted conditional release. Swenson’s conditions include home confinement with a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew, random alcohol and drug testing, no driving, no alcohol, and installation of a Breath Alcohol Ignition Interlock Device on his vehicle within seven days.⁴

The release drew public anger. A Change.org petition titled “Ensure Peter Swenson faces the full consequences under Illinois law,” directed at Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen Burke and county commissioners, called on prosecutors to pursue the case without reduced charges or leniency. It gathered more than 750 verified signatures.⁸

What Happens Next

A follow-up hearing was set for January 16, 2025, at the Bridgeview Courthouse to decide whether Swenson will be permitted to drive under the ignition interlock condition.⁴

1
Patch. Chicago Man Charged With Reckless Homicide in Fatal Oak Lawn Crash
2
Oak Lawn Police Department. Press Release: Reckless Homicide, SW Hwy and Cicero
3
NBC Chicago. Teen Was Driving 93 MPH Before Drunk Driving Crash That Killed Suburban Father
4
Southwest Regional Publishing. Man Charged With Felonies in Fatal Oak Lawn Car Crash
5
WGN TV. Joyriding Chicago Man Charged After Father Dies, 7-Year-Old Critical in Oak Lawn Crash
6
Fox 32 Chicago. Oak Lawn Fatal Crash: Chicago Man Charged
7
Illinois General Assembly. 720 ILCS 5/9-3 Reckless Homicide
8
Change.org. Ensure Peter Swenson Faces the Full Consequences Under Illinois Law