‘Ghost Rider’ Sentenced to 18 Months after Changing Plea to Guilty

Updated 7:45 p.m., Tuesday, May 14, 2013

An Orland Park man, who was accused of fleeing police on a motorcycle, while popping wheelies, weaving in and out of traffic and taunting officers, was sentenced Tuesday after changing his plea to guilty.

Justin Jachimiec, 23, was sentenced by Judge Carmen Aguilar to 18 months in the Illinois Department of Corrections, followed by one year of parole. Jachimiec pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated fleeing and eluding a peace officer, which is a Class 4 felony.

He originally pleaded not guilty to the two felony charges, as well as one count of possession of a stolen motor vehicle and several traffic violations. Jachimiec changed the plea Tuesday during a hearing in Bridgeview for the fleeing and eluding charges, while the others against him were dropped.

Jachimiec has already spent 204 days in the Cook County Jail, according to his attorney Brad Telander, and will be credited for those days. Clad in beige jail scrubs, Jachimiec responded to Aguilar that he understood several terms of the plea agreement, but declined to speak when offered an opportunity by the judge before the hearing closed.

Jachimiec’s case goes back to an incident on Nov. 19, 2011, where he was riding a dirt bike along Wheeler Avenue in Orland Park, popping wheelies, weaving around police cars attempting to stop him, driving close to cars on the road and driving on sidewalks and through fields. Videos of his ride were shot with a helmet camera and appeared on YouTube with the nickname “Orland Ghost Rider” in the text, posted by user account “wheelerdrivebandit,” which has since been taken down. One video still remains online.   

On March 13, 2012, Orland Park police saw Jachimiec riding a dirt bike along LaGrange Road near 159th Street, again weaving in and out of traffic, driving on sidewalks and again refusing to stop for police officers with lit emergency lights. He was arrested the next day at home, according to police.

Searching IP addresses led law enforcement to Jachimiec’s house, and a friend’s house where a laptop, flash drive and an SD card were recovered, Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Donna Norton said during Tuesday’s hearing. Jachmiec’s face was seen on videos files found on the recovered computer hardware, Norton said.

Aguilar commended several people who wrote letters on behalf of Jachimiec, and advised him to “take a different path” after his sentence is complete.

“It’s very sad,” Aguilar said. “The letters were very good. Your parents have attended all of these court hearings and appear supportive of you. You’ve shown that you are a bright individual. With the support you have, you could have chosen a different path. You will see a lot of people don’t have that support.

“This was very serious. It endangered the lives of many people and tied up police when they were probably needed elsewhere.”

Read past stories about the case.

• Accused ‘Ghost Rider’ Looking for New Lawyer
• UPDATE: Orland Park ‘Ghost Rider’ Trial Delayed
• Alleged 'Orland Ghost Rider' Gets Week in McDonough County Jail

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