A vehicle exploded on the Eisenhower Expressway, killing one man and shutting down the road for hours. The FBI has now confirmed it was an explosion — but says no one else was involved.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the man killed in Thursday morning’s dramatic car explosion as Jorge Vaca, 47, of Cicero, Illinois.
The vehicle came to a stop in the outbound lanes near Mannheim Road in Westchester at around 10 a.m. Witnesses and aerial footage showed the car’s windows and windshield completely shattered — a scene that quickly drew a massive law enforcement response.
“The involvement of highly specialized federal, state, and local resources was necessary to safely process the scene and ensure public safety.”
Illinois State Police were first on scene, but soon called in heavy reinforcements. Bomb squad technicians surrounded the vehicle, and investigators erected a white tent around the car as they combed for evidence. The Eisenhower Expressway — one of Chicago’s busiest routes — was shut down for hours, leaving hundreds of drivers stranded.
The agencies that ultimately joined the investigation:
