Perry Lee Killed in Urbana, Illinois Wrong-Way Crash Near Illini Union — December 20, 2025 Fatal Incident Involving Urbana Driver

A fatal early-morning crash in Urbana, Illinois, left a 22-year-old man dead after a vehicle traveling the wrong direction collided with a police squad car and veered onto a sidewalk near the University of Illinois campus. The incident occurred shortly after 2 a.m. on December 20, 2025, at the intersection of Green Street and Mathews Avenue, an area adjacent to the Illini Union and commonly frequented by students and late-night pedestrians.

According to local police, the driver sped through the intersection from Mathews Avenue, a designated one-way street, before striking a University of Illinois police vehicle. The impact forced the car off the roadway and onto a nearby sidewalk where several individuals were standing. One of them, later identified as 22-year-old Perry Lee, was struck when the vehicle spun out of control. Lee was transported to a hospital but later died from his injuries. The officer involved sustained minor injuries and was released after treatment. Authorities later arrested 31-year-old Urbana resident James Buford in connection with the crash. He faces charges including reckless homicide, leaving the scene of an accident involving a fatality, driving the wrong way on a one-way street, and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon. Court records indicate Buford pleaded not guilty and was denied pretrial release as the case proceeds through the Champaign County court system.