Naperville Police seek information while investigating a fatal traffic crash that occurred Monday evening, Dec. 23, 2024. (PN file photos are used to help flag stories related to Naperville Police and Fire Department responses to investigations and emergency calls, always reminding readers that keeping the community safe is everyone’s responsibility. Thanks always for calling 911 whenever necessary to report an accident or what seems suspicious or unsafe. Be alert by day and by night. Stay safe.)
City of Naperville Public Information Office Report
On Dec. 23, 2024, just prior to 9PM, Naperville Police Department and Naperville Fire Department personnel were dispatched to the 1400 block of Auburn Avenue for a report of a vehicle on fire with someone inside. Police and Fire personnel arrived on scene, and upon the fire being extinguished, confirmed a victim was still inside the vehicle.
The preliminary investigation indicates that a 2018 Toyota Rav 4, driven by the victim, Amanda Baratka, a 38-year-old female from Naperville, was traveling southbound on Wehrli Drive when it left the roadway, struck two light poles, and came to rest on a private residential driveway where the vehicle then caught fire.
Ms. Baratka was later pronounced dead on the scene. A young female family member was also inside the vehicle at the time of the crash. She was able to escape the vehicle and appeared uninjured.
Due to the nature of the crash, traffic crash investigators and reconstruction specialists from the Naperville Police Department’s Traffic Unit responded to the scene.
This traffic crash is still under investigation by the Naperville Police Department. The exact cause of death for Ms. Baratka is under investigation by the DuPage County Coroner’s Office.
Anyone with information regarding this crash is asked to contact the Naperville Police Department’s Traffic Unit at (630) 420-8833.
