Tynesha McCarty-Wroten, charged in Zion pedestrian Darren Lucas' death while allegedly livestreaming on TikTok, out of custody
A woman accused of livestreaming herself on TikTok while driving as she struck and killed a man walking in the north suburbs has now been released from custody after she was initially ordered to remain detained, according to court records.
The video in the player above is from a previous report.
Tynesha McCarty-Wroten was arrested Tuesday and is facing charges in the deadly November crash , the Lake County Illinois Sheriff's Office said.
The crash happened on Nov. 3 at about 5:46 p.m. at the intersection of Sheridan Road and 33rd Street, Zion police said. Officials said the driver of a 2015 Ford Edge struck a pedestrian at the intersection.
The pedestrian died at the scene. He was identified as Darren Lucas, 59, according to Zion police.
Police said the driver of the Ford, McCarty-Wroten, stayed at the scene and called 911.
McCarty-Wroten's charges include Reckless Homicide and Aggravated Use of an Electronic Communication Device, officials said.
The suspect was ordered to be held in custody pending her trial when she appeared in court Wednesday morning. However, after a preliminary hearing Friday, she was released from custody with conditions, according to court records. It was not yet known what the conditions are.
On Nov. 7, police began an investigation regarding "a video that has surfaced on social media related to this incident."
"Investigators are currently following up on investigative leads to verify the validity of the video," police said.
In an update Wednesday afternoon, Zion police said their investigation revealed McCarty-Wroten was "allegedly live-streaming herself on TikTok" at the time of the deadly crash.
"In the days following the crash, numerous members of the public reached out to Zion Investigators to inform them of a TikTok video that allegedly showed Ms. McCarty-Wroten live-streaming herself driving at the time of the crash," the update from police read in part. "The video was preserved and verified through extensive investigation, including the execution of multiple search warrants and analysis of electronic data."
McCarty-Wroten is scheduled to be back in court Jan. 27.
No further information was immediately available.
