What began as a routine pull into a Wheaton driveway ended with a Chicago man jailed without pretrial release after a gunpoint carjacking and a police chase that prosecutors say hit triple digits.
Authorities say the chaos wrapped up early Friday when officers used spike strips to stop a gray Nissan, sending it onto a curb and into a nearby neighborhood on foot. One suspect was taken into custody after running from the scene, and officials say no one was physically injured.
DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and Wheaton Chief of Police P.J. Youker announced that Judge Louis Aranda granted the state’s motion to deny pretrial release for 25-year-old Andrew Strong. Prosecutors have charged Strong with Aggravated Vehicular Hijacking (Class X), Unlawful Possession of a Weapon by a Felon (Class 3) and Aggravated Fleeing and Eluding (Class 4), according to the City of Wheaton.
How the chase unfolded
According to police, the incident started when a Wheaton resident pulled his 2020 Acura MDX into a driveway and was confronted by a man in a ski mask who pointed a gun and ordered him out of the vehicle. Investigators say a second suspect then took off in the Acura while Strong followed in a gray Nissan Sentra.
Officers later spotted both vehicles heading east on Roosevelt Road and say the cars hit roughly 100 mph in a 35-mph zone. Police deployed spike strips that disabled the Nissan, which crashed onto a curb. Two people inside the car ran from the scene, but an Illinois State Police plane tracked the pair along the railroad tracks east of 2000 Beach Street until DuPage County sheriff’s deputies apprehended the driver.
Authorities also report that officers found a black Springfield handgun on the Nissan’s passenger seat, as reported by the Daily Herald.
Court reaction and statements
“Judge Aranda’s decision to deny pre-trial release for Mr. Strong sends a crystal-clear message that in DuPage County, we will not tolerate violent criminal activity,” State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a news release.
Wheaton Chief P.J. Youker called Strong an “already convicted felon” whose “potential sentence could be measured in decades” and praised the multi-agency response that led to his capture, according to the City of Wheaton.
Next court date and legal path
Strong’s next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 24, 2026, before Judge Daniel Guerin, and the investigation remains active, according to Bob Berlin. Authorities are asking anyone with information about the case to contact the Wheaton Police Department.
