Politics

REPORT: Democrat Politician Hit Child With Car, Fled The Scene

Published

3 days ago

March 31, 2025

A Democratic county official south of Chicago is gaining national attention after allegedly hitting a child with her car and fleeing the scene.

Jackie Traynere, a member of the Will County Board, was only reprimanded with a ticket after failing to yield on a right of way and striking a child using the crosswalk. According to multiple witnesses, Taynere’s car impacted the child as he rode a bicycle from a sidewalk near Lily Cache and Lindsey lanes and entered the crosswalk while the southbound traffic was stopped.

The incident occurred earlier this month and only came to light after WGN9 filed a Freedom of Information Act request upon receiving a tip. In response, the station received body camera footage from police officers responding to the scene.

Officers spoke with the child, who said he saw the crosswalk sign illuminated, indicating that he thought it would be safe to cross. As he entered the crosswalk, a blue car driven by Traynere made an illegal turn and struck him, the report states.

Paramedics attended to him at the scene but did not take him to the hospital. The report adds that the chain on his bicycle was damaged.

After the incident, Traynere drove to the police station, where she claimed to have seen a child “fall off” their bike but wasn’t sure if she hit him. The report also said she could not give a reason for the scratches and dent on her car where the impact allegedly occurred.

“She stated she got out to make sure (the bicyclist) was OK, but did not know what to do, so she left. Then she decided to come to the police station. While discussing the incident, she indicated that she might have struck (the bicyclist) but was unsure,” the report states, according to the Chicago Tribune.

“It had a half-circle scratch on the hood, all the dust near that scratch had been rubbed off as if something rubbed on the hood, and there were apparent hand/finger prints in the dust on the hood near the scratch,” the report said.

The damage was not on the vehicle before the accident, she told police.

Media questions sent to Traynere were passed on to her attorney, who told the outlet his client’s encounter with the child is being taken “dramatically out of context.”

“The incident at issue has been taken dramatically out of context and is being used in a transparent attempt to score political points rather than for any legitimate purpose,” Giamanco said in an email.

“One version I heard early on — from an elected official — was that the minor was ‘run over’ and that Ms. Traynere never stopped her vehicle; such statements are patently false and defamatory,” he said.

“As the matter is currently pending, we are limited in what we can say. However, Ms. Traynere contests the single citation she received for allegedly failing to yield to a pedestrian. We look forward to resolving this matter in a court of law — not in the court of public opinion.”

WATCH:

DASH CAM VIDEO #2 RELEASED: Heart-wrenching scenes of paramedics prepping injured child for ambulance transport after Democrat leader’s reckless act. WATCH and SHARE: Let’s end the cover-ups! Our kids deserve BETTER from those sworn to lead us! (VIDEO) (9/22) pic.twitter.com/uwNtHcg1Mj

— Next News Network (@NextNewsNetwork) March 25, 2025

Despite witnesses reporting Traynere’s license plate to the Western Will County Communications Center, officials in Bolingbrook, the site of the incident, did not charge the Democrat. Instead, she received a citation.

In addition to serving on the Will County board, Traynere is also a DuPage Township administrator. She ran for mayor of Bolingbrook in 2021.

Each of the 22 board members for Will County receives an annual salary of $23,000 for the part-time position. Traynere has been on the board since 2008 and was the Democratic leader from 2022 to 2024 when she received a $1,000 leadership bonus.