A Bolingbrook crane company has terminated an employee after he was charged with reckless homicide and aggravated driving under the influence following a fatal boat crash on the Fox River.
Richard Stevenson, 45, was ordered detained by a McHenry County judge pending trial after a Monday court appearance.
Prosecutors allege he was operating a 30-foot pontoon boat at 80 miles per hour under the influence of alcohol when it struck a smaller vessel.
The crash killed 48-year-old Magdalena Jablonska of Des Plaines, who was decapitated upon impact.
Her husband was taken to a hospital in critical condition and placed on life support.
Company Response and Background
Stevenson Crane Service announced Tuesday that it fired Stevenson, stating he worked in equipment sales, held no leadership role, had no operational involvement, and owned no interest in the firm.
This contradicts a since-removed LinkedIn page listing him as vice president.
“A tragic incident occurred this weekend involving Richard Stevenson and we offer our sincerest condolences to the victims' families and loved ones,” the company said in a statement.
Court records show hospital blood tests revealed Stevenson had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.20, two and a half times the legal limit.
Two passengers on his boat prior to the crash told investigators he took multiple shots of Fireball whiskey, and one confirmed the boat reached 80 miles per hour.
Neighborhood security footage captured the pontoon traveling south on the river and returning north about an hour and 45 minutes later, moments before the crash.
Another video showed the vessel passing by at 12:40 p. m.
, nearly two hours before the incident.
“It's terrible,” neighbor Jane Sexton said. “It's horrific.
It's a tragedy. It's not just the people that were on the boats.”
Prosecutors detailed Stevenson's traffic history between 1997 and 2005, including three DUI arrests, four misdemeanor speeding offenses, three reckless driving offenses, and fleeing police.
They also cited a 2023 speeding violation for driving 26 to 34 miles per hour over the limit.
“This man was a ticking time bomb, and that bomb went off this past Saturday on the Fox River,” Deputy Chief Brian Miller of the McHenry County State's Attorney's Office said during the detention hearing.
Stevenson is scheduled to return to court on Aug. 5.
