Officer Charged With Reckless Homicide 11 Months After Crash

NILES, IL — A Cook County sheriff's police officer was charged with reckless homicide for his role in a fatal traffic crash 11 months ago in Niles. Two women died after the officer's squad car collided with their car at the intersection of Dempster Street and Harlem Avenue around 5:45 a.m. on Sept. 6, 2018.

Thomas M. Nortman, 47, of the 1400 block of Maybrook Drive, Maywood, faces two counts of reckless homicide, a class 3 felony, and two counts of aggravated reckless driving, a class 4 felony, police said.

Ludwika Moskal, 69, of Norridge, was driving a black Honda Accord south on Harlem Avenue with Helena Lukasik, 64, of Chicago's Dunning neighborhood, as her passenger, when Nortman's marked car collided with them, according to police.

The two women were reportedly sisters on their way home from working the night shift at Evanston Hospital. Nortman was on-duty but not responding to an emergency, the sheriff's office said.

Nortman was charged Monday and released a bond hearing Tuesday after posting the $20,000 cash portion of his bond. He has been on desk duty with no police powers since the incident, according to a sheriff's office spokesperson.

The crash was investigated by the Major Crash Assistance Team of the North Regional Crimes Task Force. Nortman is due back in court Aug. 20 in Skokie.

Earlier: 2 Women Killed In Crash With Sheriff's Office Squad Car In Niles