A Logan Square man who told a neighbor to “watch what I’m going to do” moments before plowing his pickup truck into a group of picnickers in 2021 was sentenced Wednesday to more than nine years in prison, according to court records.
Timothy Nielsen, 62, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted murder during a hearing before Judge Shelley Sutker-Dermer, who imposed a 9½-year sentence.
The plea followed a lengthy legal battle in which Nielsen repeatedly argued that the prosecution violated double jeopardy protections because he had previously pleaded guilty to a reckless driving citation issued at the scene. Courts rejected that claim, allowing the case to proceed.
Prosecutors said the incident unfolded shortly after 5 p.m. on May 1, 2021, along the 2900 block of West Logan Boulevard. Moments before the crash, Nielsen allegedly pulled his red Ford F-150 into an alley and spoke with a neighbor watering flowers. After asking how long the man had lived there, Nielsen complained about “yuppies on the boulevard” and warned: “Watch what I’m going to do.”
Less than a minute later, screams erupted from the parkway. The neighbor ran toward the noise and saw what prosecutors described as “chaos.” Nielsen had driven toward a birthday picnic gathering, argued with the group about their dogs, and became hostile when told to leave. Instead of driving away, he backed up, turned the truck toward the group, and accelerated.
The several-ton vehicle crushed bicycles, chairs, and a YETI cooler, which ultimately became wedged underneath the truck and stopped it from moving farther. One woman was pinned beneath the vehicle, while another victim suffered minor injuries while trying to flee. Two additional people managed to avoid being struck.
Despite shouts that someone was trapped underneath, prosecutors said Nielsen continued trying to accelerate. The pinned woman was treated and later released.
A passerby stopped her own vehicle, rushed to Nielsen’s truck, switched off the ignition, and grabbed the keys. She also disarmed Nielsen, who allegedly swung a knife at people attempting to pull him from the driver’s seat.
Prosecutors highlighted Nielsen’s violent criminal past:
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1989: Kidnapped a victim at gunpoint while posing as a police officer; pleaded guilty.
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2001: Pleaded guilty in a federal extortion case involving an escort service operator, according to the Chicago Tribune.
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2012: Sentenced to three years for retail theft.
Nielsen must serve 85% of his 9½-year sentence, with 999 days of credit for time already spent in custody since his arrest.