TikTok Livestreaming Driver Charged with Reckless Homicide in Fatal 2025 Crash

Is digital attention worth a human life? A horrific incident in Illinois has reignited the debate over social media's role in public safety. A driver engaged in a TikTok livestream struck and killed a pedestrian, turning a broadcast into a digital record of a fatal crime.

The Fatal Distraction of Live Streaming

According to The New York Times, the Zion Police Department has charged Tynesha McCarty-Wroten with two felonies—reckless homicide and aggravated use of a communications device resulting in death—following a fatal crash on December 28, 2025. McCarty-Wroten, who streams under the moniker 'Tea Tyme,' was allegedly broadcasting to her followers at the moment of impact.

Surveillance footage and the livestream itself provide a chilling account of the event. Reports indicate McCarty-Wroten’s vehicle entered an intersection while the traffic light was red, without slowing down. The victim, Darren Lucas, was struck and later pronounced dead at a local hospital. In the reshared video, a child can be heard asking about the noise, to which the driver coldly replies, "I hit somebody."

Legal Battle: Accident vs. Recklessness

While the police maintain the act was reckless, McCarty-Wroten’s defense attorney argues otherwise. Speaking to the NYT, the lawyer claimed the evidence would prove the incident was a "negligent act" but not "intentional or reckless." This distinction will be the focal point of the upcoming legal proceedings as the community mourns the loss of Lucas.