10-year-old boy on way to church outing killed in crash on Tri-State near Gurnee

A 10-year-old boy headed with relatives and a friend to a church outing in Wisconsin was killed when his aunt lost control of the sport-utility vehicle she was driving and crashed into a median Saturday morning on the Tri-State Tollway near Gurnee, according to a family member and the Illinois State Police.

Reeve Mathew and an 11-year-old friend from Des Plaines were ejected “from the vehicle’s rear window onto the shoulder,” according to the state police, who said the other boy suffered serious injuries and was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville.

The police cited Reeve’s aunt, Silvia Jacob, 50, of Green Oaks, for improper lane usage and having an improper child restraint.

The crash happened around 9:30 a.m. Four adults and three children were in the Lincoln Navigator, which the police said crossed all four lanes of traffic and came to a stop on the right shoulder after crashing into the median.

The group, which also included an 11-year-old girl, was headed to a church outing at Holy Hill Church in Hubertus, Wisconsin, according to Rodney Simon, a relative.

“We were going for morning mass there, and they were on their way,” said Simon, 36.

Reeve and his family belong to St. Mary’s Knanaya Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church in Waukegan, according to Simon, who said the boy was very involved in his church.

“He was a quiet, smart kid,” he said.

The boy adored his little sister, who was born just a few months ago, Simon said.

He said Reeve’s parents weren’t in the car with him.

“They’re devastated right now,” Simon said.

Reeve was a fourth-grader at Woodland Intermediate School in Gurnee and had gone there since starting school in kindergarten, according to Jennifer Tempest Bova, a spokeswoman for Woodland Community Consolidated School District 50.

“Our hearts go out to Reeve’s family,” she said Saturday night. “Reeve and his family are in our thoughts and prayers.”

Friends and relatives gathered Saturday at Reeve’s home in Gurnee, Simon said, praying with the grieving parents.

Two of the adults in the SUV were taken to Vista Medical Center in Waukegan with serious injuries, according to the police, who said the others were taken to Condell Hospital.

The damaged Lincoln Navigator that 10-year-old Reeve Matthew was riding in.