A Zion man was under the influence of drugs and driving recklessly when he crashed his car and killed his young son in November, Lake County authorities said Tuesday.

Steven McKnight Jr., 25, of the 900 block of Country Wood Drive, has been charged with aggravated DUI for having marijuana in his system and reckless homicide in the crash that killed his son, 5-year-old Sy’mere. McKnight’s 2-year-old son was badly injured in the crash, police said.

The charges came at the conclusion of the investigation into the Nov. 26, 2024, head-on collision on Green Bay Road, just north of Hart Street in Beach Park.

Witnesses reported that McKnight was driving south on Green Bay Road at about 5 p.m. and was passing other southbound vehicles using the northbound lane. While in the wrong lane, his Chevrolet Malibu collided with a northbound GMC Sierra being driven by a Wisconsin man.

McKnight suffered serious injuries and had to be extricated. Police said his 2-year-old was riding in McKnight’s lap at the time of the crash.

He reportedly told first responders that no one else was in the car, but his 5-year-old was later discovered beneath debris in the vehicle, police said. Sy’mere was rushed to a hospital, but was pronounced dead.

Neither child appears to have been in a safety seat, police said.

“This crash was not an accident, it was the result of reckless, impaired driving that took the life of an innocent … child, severely injured another child, and seriously injured an uninvolved motorist who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Sheriff John Idleburg said. “There is absolutely no excuse for putting children, or anyone, at risk.”

McKnight was taken into custody on July 24, and Lake County prosecutors filed to detain him until trial. That motion has been granted, authorities said.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/07/29/father-charged-fatal-crash/