Teen Pleads Not Guilty to Deadly Palos Crash Charges

A 19-year-old Burr Ridge man facing felony charges after authorities said he was responsible for a serious vehicle accident that caused a man’s death, pleaded not guilty in court Thursday.

Nicholas Puccinelli made his plea while he was arraigned in front of Judge John Hynes in his Bridgeview courtroom.

On March 12, Puccinelli was heading south on LaGrange Road near 105th Street in Palos Township, when he drove his 2002 GMC Denali into the northbound lane and crashed into a 2002 Nissan Sentra around 3 a.m., police said. Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Amari Dawson said the impact sent the Sentra through a guard rail.

John Anagnopoulos, 64, of Orland Park, was driving the Sentra and died from injuries sustained in the wreck. Anagnopoulos was driving to work, according to authorities.

Puccinelli was later arrested at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. His blood tested positive for marijuana, amphetamines, barbiturates, cocaine and other substances, and his blood-alcohol level was .215 after the crash, according to Dawson.

Judge Carmen Aguilar previously ordered Puccinelli to wear a monitoring bracelet that can read whether he drinks any alcohol, as terms of his .

Puccinelli’s next scheduled court date is June 5.

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