JERSEY COUNTY — A 23-year-old off-duty Staunton police officer and Marine Corps veteran died Sunday afternoon, Sept. 13, 2026, in a motorcycle-car crash on Illinois Route 100 in Elsah after a car pulled onto the highway from Mill Street and the driver did not see the westbound motorcycle, according to information provided by Jersey County Sheriff Nick Manns.
Manns identified the off-duty officer who died as Ethan Hoese, who was originally from the Litchfield area.
The crash was reported at 3:19 p.m. Sept. 13, 2026. Q.E.M. Fire/Rescue, Jersey Community Hospital EMS and the Jersey County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the scene for a motorcycle-versus-car collision.
At 3:23 p.m., a Grafton Police unit requested that the coroner respond. The Jersey County Coroner Kevin Aryes and Sheriff Manns responded to the scene.
Manns said the motorcycle was traveling west on Illinois Route 100 near Mill Street when a car pulled out onto the highway and the motorcycle struck the car. The driver of the car was 64 years old, Manns said.
Several deputies and Illinois State Police assisted with crash reconstruction, the sheriff added.
