By Frank Main and Stefano Esposito
Chicago Sun-Times
CHICAGO — An off-duty Chicago Police detective was intoxicated when the SUV he was driving plowed into the back of a disabled car on the Dan Ryan Expy., killing two people in a fiery crash, authorities said.
Joseph Frugoli, 41, of the Bridgeport area, was charged Friday evening with two courts of aggravated driving under the influence, two counts of reckless homicide and one count of leaving the scene of an accident, said Sally Daly, spokeswoman for Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez. He will appear in bond court today.
The 18-year-department veteran was being treated Friday night at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where tests indicated his blood-alcohol level was about triple the legal limit of .08, sources said.
Frugoli allegedly drove his black Lexus into a red Dodge Intrepid that broke down in the southbound lanes of the highway near the 18th Street ramp, authorities said.
The officer was walking away from the crash scene when he was apprehended, police said.
A bystander, Marcus Copeland, said he tried to pull the victims from the burning Intrepid shortly before 4 a.m., but the flames were overpowering.
“I couldn’t do anything,” he said.
One of the victims was Andrew Cazares, 23, of Summit, who attended Argo Community High School.
Cazares worked construction and lived with his family in the 7700 block of West 62nd Place.
Friends said he was a talented skateboarder and graphic artist.
Alexander Myles, 14, said he and a buddy were skateboarding one day when Cazares noticed their lack of skill.
“He said, ‘You guys want to learn some tricks?’ ” and gave the younger boys some lessons, according to Myles.
The other victim was Fausto Manzera, 21, of Chicago, Illinois State Police said.
He was a student at DePaul University, according to his friends, who said he was artistic, too.
He and Cazares may have been on the way to Manzera’s father’s home in Bridgeport, where Manzera stayed.
“He was just a wonderful friend. He will be truly missed,” said a friend, Claudia Godinez.
Frugoli worked in the Wentworth Area detective headquarters just off the Dan Ryan at 51st and Wentworth, sources said.
The Chicago Police Department released a statement that said that Frugoli has been relieved of his police powers.
In addition to the traffic investigation being conducted by the State Police, the Chicago Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division launched a probe.
Copyright 2009 Chicago Sun-Times