Authorities have revealed what led to an explosion that left one person dead and shut down the Eisenhower Expressway for hours last week in a bizarre series of events.
Bomb squads were called in and drivers were left stranded in massive backups as closures on I-290 near Mannheim Road lasted more than eight hours.
So what was it? Here’s what we know:
What caused the explosion?
A senior law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the case told NBC Chicago a firework mortar went off inside an SUV and shot into the chest of driver 47-year-old Jorge Vaca from west suburban Cicero.
FBI officials said the commercial-grade firework ignited inside the driver compartment of the SUV. That’s according to a high-ranking law enforcement official who has direct knowledge of the evidence.
Vaca was killed when the firework shot into his chest as he was driving across the expressway, according to the law enforcement official, who said he is supported by an autopsy report that has yet to be released. The blast blew out windows in Vaca’s SUV, which came to a stop on the highway. No one else was hurt.
“Obviously they’re thinking it was an internal explosion, and thank goodness it wasn’t an external explosion,” said Mike Gannon, retired assistant special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration Chicago Division. “Thank goodness that nobody else hit the car or ram into the car, or just be part of collateral damage for this unfortunate circumstances that occurred.”
Initially, multiple senior law enforcement sources told NBC Chicago they thought Vaca might have been targeted in the explosion because he had recently been arrested by the DEA and agreed to help the agency. Now those sources say a cartel hit was ruled out early, and they say those fireworks were set off by Vaca – with the remaining question: did he do it intentionally?
The Cook County Medical Examiner said the manner of death is still under investigation.
The day the Eisenhower came to a halt for eight hours, NBC Chicago reported federal law enforcement officials thought it was a bizarre accident but officials said they hadn’t ruled out suicide.
On Monday afternoon, a top U.S. official in Chicago who is tracking the investigation told NBC 5 Investigates’ Chuck Goudie determining the manner of death remains a main point of the investigation.
The coordinated investigation is being led by the FBI and ATF with support from several federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
What happened that day?
An investigation after a vehicle exploded on I-290 prompted closures and snarled traffic for hours on Thursday. JC Navarrete reports.
The incident started just after 10 a.m. on Thursday with what appeared to be a vehicle that became disabled on the side of the outbound lanes of the expressway near Mannheim in Westchester. The vehicle exploded, according to authorities, though it remains unclear what caused the explosion.
Footage showed the windows and windshield appeared to be shattered, and bomb squad technicians could be seen surrounding the vehicle at times throughout the investigation on Thursday. At one point, investigators set up a white tent around the vehicle.
Sky 5 reporter Mike Lorber noted Illinois State Police called the incident an “explosion” multiple times in their dispatches on Thursday after they were initially called to the scene. ISP ultimately called in assistance first from the Cook County Bomb and Arson Squad, then the FBI and the ATF, according to authorities. The DEA also joined the investigation.
“No evidence was found to indicate this was connected to any other event or that any other individuals were involved,” the FBI said in a statement on Friday.
The Village of Westchester said in a statement local police were also assisting at the request of ISP.
“We recognize the significant public interest generated by the law enforcement response and roadway closures. The involvement of highly specialized federal, state, and local resources was necessary to safely process the scene and ensure public safety. We are grateful to the public for their patience and cooperation as the matter was ongoing,” the FBI said in a statement that was also shared by ATF on social media.
The closures
Part of the Eisenhower Expressway in the western suburbs was shut down for more than eight hours in both directions as police and bomb technicians investigated the “active incident.”
Traffic was so bad drivers were seen stranded on the roadway, some exiting their vehicles and sitting on medians or standing on the highway.
All lanes of the expressway reopened just before 7 p.m.
