Galena man gets 5 years for Loop carjacking that ended in Kennedy crash

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Galena Man Sentenced to Prison for Carjacking and Chaotic Getaway in Chicago

A Galena man involved in a carjacking incident in the Loop that culminated in a crash on the Kennedy Expressway in 2024 has been handed a prison sentence for his actions.

Forrest Wagner, aged 31, was sentenced to five years by Judge Michael Clancy after pleading guilty to one count of vehicular hijacking. Court records indicate that with the state’s standard 50% sentence reduction and credit for 530 days served in jail, Wagner is expected to be released on parole in approximately a year’s time.

The charges against Wagner stem from an incident in December 2024, where a 31-year-old woman was sitting in the passenger seat of a 2015 Dodge Dart on North State Street while her companion went into a nearby restaurant.

Forrest Wagner (Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Google)

According to prosecutors, Wagner approached the car, got into the driver’s seat, and prevented the woman from escaping by pulling her hair and grabbing her. The woman was able to break free when Wagner momentarily released his grip to fasten his seat belt, as stated in a CPD report.

Upon witnessing the hijacking, the car’s owner, a 30-year-old man, tried to intervene and remove Wagner from the vehicle. Wagner allegedly struck him before driving away at high speed.

Shortly after, an off-duty Chicago police officer spotted the stolen car following a collision with multiple vehicles on the outbound Kennedy Expressway between Diversey Avenue and Kedzie Avenue. Wagner abandoned the car and fled into a nearby fast-food restaurant in Avondale, where he was apprehended by the off-duty officer and other law enforcement personnel.

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