NEWS RELEASE

RIVERSIDE POLICE DEPARTMENT

31 Riverside Road, Riverside, IL 60546

03 August 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Chief Thomas Weitzel tweitzel@riverside.il.us 708.447.2127

Follow RPD on Twitter @pdriverside

Vehicle Driving on Sidewalk Unattended/Man Jumps in Car and Puts Car in Park
Bank employee sees vehicle driving on sidewalk with driver, jumps in and maneuvers car to curb
On Friday, July 31, 2015 at 3:37 p.m. Riverside Police Department's 911 Center received numerous phone calls
reporting that a 2007 red Ford passenger car was driving on the sidewalk westbound from 43 East Burlington with
no driver. When police arrived they found the vehicle parked in the street with several citizens standing around
the vehicle. The following events took place after police investigated the situation and found that the following
events took place. The vehicle's owner, Marguerite Durkin, told police that she did leave the keys in the car with
the engine on while she ran into Riverside Foods to "grab a few things" from the store. Durkin stated that her
vehicle was parked in the southwest parking spot of Riverside Foods, directly next to the sidewalk. Riverside
Police Investigations determined that Ms. Durkin did not put the car fully into park and after she left her vehicle to
shop at Riverside Foods the vehicle lurched into drive and started to drive on a pedestrian sidewalk westbound
from 48 East Burlington (which is the central business district in downtown Riverside).
A male PNC Bank employee (Nicholas Cassano age 32), which is the building directly west of Riverside Foods (at
40 E. Burlington); saw the unoccupied vehicle driving on the sidewalk past the front of his business. The bank
employee stated that he jumped into the car and was able to maneuver it back to the street at which time he
stopped the vehicle and parked it at the curb line. He then turned the ignition off and turned the keys over to the
first responding police officer. Riverside Police walked the central business district going into each business until
they were able to find the vehicle driver shopping in Riverside Foods.
Riverside Police ticketed Marguerite G. Durkin, 80 of the 2400 block of Park Avenue in North Riverside.
She was cited for unoccupied vehicle parked illegally and expired registration.
Riverside Police Chief Thomas Weitzel stated, If it was not for what can only be described as heroic and quick
acting maneuver by PNC Bank employee Nicholas Cassano we may have had a tragedy. There were numerous
people shopping in the central business district and walking up and down the streets adjacent to where the vehicle
was driving unattended. I believe Mr. Cassano's quick actions definitely saved lives as the vehicle would not have
stopped until it struck a pedestrian or a building.