Westmont man accused of fleeing police, crashing car into house

A Westmont man accused of crashing his car into an occupied home while attempting to elude police was released with conditions Tuesday, authorities said.

Ronald Neal, 20, of the zero to 100 block of East 56th Street, appeared at his First Appearance Court hearing, charged with one count of aggravated fleeing and eluding, according to a DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office news release.

About 12:16 a.m. Aug. 10, Westmont police observed a Honda Element without its headlights pull out of a parking lot near 59th Street. Police shined a spotlight on the Honda, later determined to be driven by Neal, to alert him that his headlights were not on, according to the release.

Neal allegedly ignored the police officer’s signal and continued driving without his headlights on. The officer made a U-turn and attempted to initiate a traffic stop. Instead of pulling over, Neal continued to drive, running a stop sign and hitting a mailbox and a streetlight before crashing into an occupied home. No injuries were reported by the occupants of the home, according to the release.

After an investigation into the crash, a $150,000 arrest warrant was issued Aug. 15. Neal was taken into custody Tuesday without incident.

“This case is a textbook example of what I have been saying all along,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in the release. “If you hear sirens and see flashing lights behind you, pull over. Not doing so will not only make matters worse, but also puts all those involved as well as innocent people at risk. Mr. Neal’s alleged actions most certainly made matters worse for himself and put the occupants of the home at great risk. While the home sustained substantial damage, we are thankful no one was injured when Mr. Neal allegedly crashed his car into the home.”

“The alleged actions of this offender not only put innocent homeowners at risk, but also caused thousands of dollars of damage to their residence,” Westmont Chief of Police Jim Gunther said in the release. “Thankfully, the homeowners were uninjured.”

Neal’s next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 30 for arraignment.