A 23-year-old Rockford man was killed and two others injured in a crash that shut down a busy intersection for most of the day Wednesday. He’s been identified as Juan Lozano Junior.
The three were spotted driving a stolen car overnight near Rockford and were briefly pursued by Illinois State Police troopers, who gave up the chase. The stolen car was found a short time later after crashing into a tree near Anderson Japanese Gardens at the intersection of Spring Creek and Highcrest Roads.
It was a busy day for Rockford’s emergency responders. Several hours later, police received reports of a car sinking in the Rock River near the YMCA. A 54-year-old man from Lena was pulled from the car after nearly an hour in the water. He later died in an area hospital.
Early that same morning, in another unrelated incident, a 55-year-old woman fell to her death from the 12th story of Skyrise apartments on North Main Street. It’s a low-income high rise along the Rock River that specializes in renting to people over the age of 55.
All incidents are still under investigation.