A 29-year-old man in Illinois faces several charges, including driving under the influence, after he allegedly crashed a vehicle early Monday morning and abandoned the scene, leaving his girlfriend “semi-unconscious” in the front passenger seat, police said Wednesday.
Emil Nichitoi, according to the Des Plaines Police Department, was allegedly driving the vehicle around 2:20 a.m. when he crashed into a utility box and utility pole before veering off the road and into a wooded area.
When responders arrived to the scene, they located a “semi-unconscious” female passenger who was buckled into her seat, police said, but “the driver was nowhere to be found.” An extensive search of the surrounding area for the driver was reportedly unsuccessful.
Around 7:30 a.m., police said an individual, who was not wearing any socks, shoes or a coat and was also completely wet, was found on Wilson Lane. The area, according to the Chicago Sun Times, is across the Des Plaines River from where the incident happened.
Authorities said Nichitoi’s injuries appeared to be “consistent with having been in a car accident” and his breath smelled of alcohol.
Both Nichitoi and his girlfriend were reportedly taken to the hospital for medical treatment, WLS-TV reported.
Investigators determined that Nichitoi was the driver of the vehicle and he was charged with aggravated driving under the influence, fleeing the scene of a personal injury accident, driving under the influence of alcohol, improper lane usage and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, police said.
This article was first published by Fox News.
