Update: Driver identified in Whiteside County crash

UPDATE: According to a news release from Whiteside County Sheriff John Booker, the driver of the vehicle has been identified as Mario E. Toney, 18, of Dixon.

EARLIER: A driver was killed early Saturday in a Whiteside County crash, according to a news release from the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office.

At 5:20 a.m. Saturday, Whiteside County Deputies responded to a single-car traffic crash on Illinois Route 40 north of Fulfs Road in rural Sterling for a single vehicle that struck a tree. Deputies arrived to see the vehicle was fully engulfed in flames after it hit the tree.

The man was pronounced deceased at the scene. No name was released Saturday, but details will be released Monday.

Deputies were assisted at the scene by Sterling Fire Department, CGH Ambulance and Whiteside County Coroner Joe McDonald.