Man held in hit-and-run that killed fetus

January 24, 2007
By Kim Janssen Staff writer
A Marquette Park man accused of being drunk and killing an unborn child in a West Side hit-and-run was ordered held Monday on $500,000 bail.

Jorge Quintas, 25, was charged with reckless homicide, aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene of an accident.

Witnesses saw him speed westbound through a red light at the intersection of Roosevelt Road and California Avenue about 9:20 p.m. Thursday and plow into an 18-year-old pregnant woman as she crossed the street, Cook County State's Attorney spokesman Andy Conklin said.

Quintas drove away after the woman bounced off the windshield of his Dodge Stratus, but a witness in a tow truck gave chase and wrote down Quintas' license plate, Conklin said.

Police arrested him as he pulled into his home address in the 7100 block of South Sawyer Street on Friday morning, Chicago police spokesman John Henry said.

The woman -- six months pregnant -- gave birth at Mount Sinai Hospital in the early-morning hours of Friday, but the baby died within minutes, Conklin said.

The woman remained in critical condition Tuesday at Mount Sinai.

Quintas appears next at Cook County Criminal Court on Feb. 8.

Kim Janssen may be reached at
kjanssen@dailysouthtown.com
or (70 633-5998.