Teen believed to be fleeing from stolen car, police chase before drowning in Illinois River

BARTONVILLE, Ill. (WMBD) – A 14-year-old boy fled from a stolen car that was being chased by police before drowning in the Illinois River on the Fourth of July, according to the Peoria County sheriff in a Wednesday morning update.

Peoria County Sheriff Chris Watkins released new details Wednesday morning regarding the death of Leron Griffin, 14, who was found dead in the Illinois River on July 6, two days after a police pursuit, and apparently tried to cross the river to get away.

Watkins said his investigation showed that Griffin “fled from the stolen vehicle out of Bloomington that crashed in Bartonville and most likely drowned from trying to cross the river near the dam.”

That area, he said, has a strong current due to the dam being in that location.

“Griffin had been staying with his grandmother and was not reported missing at the time police discovered his body in the river,” Watkins said.

Just after 4 a.m. on July 4, a Canton police officer tried to stop a car that was reported stolen from Bloomington. The car fled and drove into Peoria County where it crashed about 15 minutes later near the intersection of Adams Street and U.S. Route 24 in Bartonville.

The car’s driver was immediately arrested but the passenger, later determined to be Griffin, was seen on a dash camera crawling out of the window and running away towards Rosaria Street.

The passenger seen in the video was wearing the same clothing that Griffin had on when he was later found dead in the river, Watkins said. There were only two people in the car at the time, he said.

Officers checked the area and saw a person matching Griffin’s description running near a McDonald’s and then walking on the shoulder of eastbound Interstate 474. The person, Watkins said, ran into the woods after he saw the officer.

A police dog from East Peoria came to help with the search but did not find the person.

Two days later, a fisherman found Griffin floating dead in the water at about 9:30 a.m. near the dam.

Watkins said the boys had gone to Macomb on July 4 in the stolen car to see family and then were in Canton when they were spotted.

“Unfortunately, these teenagers made several wrong decisions during this incident that led to one of them losing their lives.  Our thoughts are with Leron Griffin’s family,” the sheriff said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.