Driver killed in fire after hearing gunshots, hitting utility pole on West Side

The man heard gunshots and backed his car into a utility pole, causing his car to catch fire, police said.

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Three people were killed in separate crashes across the Chicago area during a winter storm early Saturday.

A man was killed in a car fire early Saturday on the West Side.

Sun-Times file

A man was killed in a fire after backing his car into a utility pole when he heard gunshots early Saturday in the Austin neighborhood, police said.

He was driving south in an alley in the 5400 block of West Jackson Boulevard when he and a passenger heard gunshots and the driver backed into a utility pole, causing the car to catch fire, according to a statement from Chicago police.

The passenger, identified only as a male, escaped the car before it went up in flames, police said.

Officers responding to a traffic crash about 1 a.m. found the man in the driver’s seat. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

He was identified as Anthony Feliciano by the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

No other injuries and no arrests were reported.

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