Mundelein, Ill. ? A seminary student was charged Friday in the deaths of two fellow students who were killed when the car they were riding in hit a tree at the University of St. Mary by the Lake in this northern Chicago suburb, police said.

Prosecutors have charged Robert Spaulding, 27, of Evansville, Wyo., with reckless homicide and driving under the influence, Mundelein Police Sgt. John Monahan said.

Matthew Molnar, 28, of Overland Park, Kan., died early Thursday at an area hospital after the car Spaulding was driving hit the tree about 1:45 a.m., Monahan said. Another passenger, Jared Cheek, 23, of St. Marys, Kan., died of his injuries Friday morning.

Authorities charged a fourth passenger, 36-year-old seminary student Mark Rowlands, of Columbus, Ohio, with impersonating a police officer and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon after authorities found a handgun and old deputy badges inside the car, Monahan said.

Archdiocese of Chicago spokeswoman Colleen Dolan said the students were driving back from dinner at a restaurant when Spaulding lost control of the vehicle after he swerved to avoid hitting a deer. Molnar and Cheek were sitting in the back seat and were thrown from the car, Dolan said.

“This seems to have been more of a freak accident,” she said.

Chicago’s Cardinal Francis George has been told about the accident and is “extremely concerned” about the students and their families, Dolan said.

“It’s quite a shock to the place because nothing like this ever happened before,” she said.

Rowlands was released from custody Friday on $50,000 bond. Spaulding, who was at the Mundelein jail Friday night, has a bond hearing scheduled for this morning, Monahan said.

Rowlands broke his collarbone in the accident and Spaulding broke his arm. Both were released from the hospital Friday, police said.

Messages left Friday at the Roman Catholic seminary were not immediately returned. Telephone listings for the men charged could not immediately be found.