blockclubchicago.org Open in urlscan Pro
192.0.66.216  Public Scan

Form analysis
2 forms found in the DOM

/

<form class="popoutAlt__SearchFormWrapper-sc-q159tb-0 bLazXG irving__query-search-form irving__query-search-form--popoutAlt" action="/"><label class="popoutAlt__SearchLabel-sc-q159tb-1 cKanBj"><input type="search" aria-label="search" name="s"
      placeholder="Search" class="popoutAlt__SearchFormTerm-sc-q159tb-2 ffqOvQ"></label><button type="submit" class="popoutAlt__SearchButton-sc-q159tb-3 eXjfej menu-alt__search-form__button"><svg stroke="currentColor" fill="none" stroke-width="2"
      viewBox="0 0 24 24" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" height="1em" width="1em" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
      <circle cx="11" cy="11" r="8"></circle>
      <line x1="21" y1="21" x2="16.65" y2="16.65"></line>
    </svg><span class="popoutAlt__SearchText-sc-q159tb-4 hczsjx">Search</span></button></form>

<form id="PicoSignup-form" class="PicoSignupForm" style="display: none"><input type="email" name="email" id="PicoSignup-form__input"><input type="submit" id="PicoSignup-form__submit-btn" value="Submit"></form>

Text Content

You need to enable JavaScript to view this site.
Skip to contents
Block Club Chicago

Become a member

Learn more

Become a member

Learn more

Thanks for your support!
Menu
 1. Neighborhoods
 2. Latest Stories
 3. COVID-19
 4. Send News Tips
 5. Newsletter
 6. Shop
 7. Subscribe
 8. Donate

Log inMy Account
Home
Search
 * Neighborhoods
 * Latest Stories
 * COVID-19
 * Send News Tips
 * Newsletter
 * Shop
 * Subscribe
 * Donate

 * Our Mission
 * Our Team
 * Board of Directors
 * Contact Us

Become a MemberSign In
Follow
 * twitter
 * facebook

Downtown


MAN CHARGED WITH SETTING ‘WALKING MAN’ ON FIRE SHOWED ‘A SPECIAL KIND OF EVIL,’
PROSECUTORS SAY

Prosecutors said video shows Joseph Guardia standing over 75-year-old Joseph
Kromelis, pouring gasoline on him and then igniting it with a lighter.

 * Share on reddit
 * Share on facebook
 * Share on twitter
 * Share on email
 * Share on pinterest
 * Share on linkedin
 * Share on whatsapp

Block Club Chicago Staff
2:25 PM CDT on May 30, 2022
Joseph Kromelis, the "Walking Man," was set on fire by a man who later fled to
the CTA Blue Line, police said.Gettnerman/Flickr, Chicago Police

Warning: This story contains a graphic description of the attack.

RIVER NORTH — The Melrose Park man accused of dousing the person known as the
“Walking Man” with gasoline and setting him on fire as he slept on Lower Wabash
Avenue showed “a special kind of evil” when he staged his unprovoked attack,
prosecutors told a judge Monday.

Joseph Guardia, 27, didn’t know Joseph Kromelis or have any history with the
75-year-old when he stood over him and set him on fire. It happened at 3 a.m.
Wednesday at 401 North Lower Wabash Avenue, and was captured on Trump Tower
surveillance cameras, Assistant State’s Attorney Danny Hanichak said during
Guardia’s bond hearing.

After he was arrested, Guardia admitted he set the fire, but said he thought he
was just burning a pile of blankets, Hanichak said. But the prosecutor said
Guardia stood over Kromelis for 16 seconds as he slept under blankets. His legs
from the knees down were exposed and his faced appeared to not be covered
either, Hanichak said.

“His statement that he didn’t know a person was there is outrageous and is a
lie,” Hanichak said.

RELATED: ‘Walking Man,’ Set On Fire In River North, ‘Likely To Die,’ Reports Say

Video shows Guardia pouring an extra large McDonald’s cup filled with gasoline
over Kromelis, igniting it with a lighter and then running away. He was seen on
multiple security cameras, including as he took a Blue Line train and a Pace bus
to get to his mother’s Melrose Park home, the prosecutor said.

Kromelis, known as the “Walking Man” because he constantly walked Downtown
streets no matter the season, was burned over 50 percent of his body, Hanichak
said. He is currently sedated at Stroger Hospital with “non-survivable
injuries,” the prosecutor said.

“The facts of this case show it takes a special kind of evil to do what the
defendant did,” Hanichak said. “This defendant chose to pour gasoline on a human
being and then set him on fire, leaving him to burn alive for three minutes. One
can only imagine the pain and suffering the victim experienced  for those three
minutes.

“This defendant did not target someone he had an argument with, someone who
wronged him or someone he even knew. This defendant decided to target the most
vulnerable person possible — a 75-year-old homeless man sleeping in the street,”
Hanichak said. “In 16 years of prosecuting cases, I’ve never seen a video so
horrific. While this is currently charged as a tortuous attempted first degree
murder, based on the prognosis of doctors treating this victim, but for a
miracle, this will soon be a first degree murder case.”

Guardia is charged with attempted murder and arson. At the end of Monday’s
hearing, Cook County Judge Charles Beach ordered him held without bail.

“The random and callous nature of your attack is horrifying,” the judge said.

Guardia was arrested Friday after multiple people called police after
recognizing him in surveillance photos released by police. Guardia has a dollar
sign tattooed on his right cheek that could be seen on video. He also wore a
distinctive, black and white “Hoodrich” hoody that he was still wearing when
arrested, Hanichak said.

One of the people who identified him to police is a Melrose Park police officer
who has known Guardia since childhood, the prosecutor said.

Guardia is a Proviso West High School grad who has been out of work for the past
year.

After his arrest, in a videotaped statement he told investigators he found the
cup of gas in the garbage and wanted to set something on fire, Hanichak said.

“He said he was angry person and decided he was going to set something on fire,”
Hanichak said. “He said he was going to burn some trash. He said he poured the
gas onto some blankets and used a lighter to set them on fire then ran. The
defendant claimed he did not know a person was there. The defendant did not
provide a specific motive other than being an angry person.”

The famed “Walking Man” treks the streets of Downtown with flowing gray hair, a
distinctive mustache and a steady stride. He’s well known to Downtown regulars,
and has been the subject of countless photos of people who recognize him.

He was also attacked in 2016 on Lower Wacker Drive. Police said someone with a
baseball bat struck him, leaving him hospitalized.

Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run
newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods.

Click here to support Block Club with a tax-deductible donation. 

Thanks for subscribing to Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c)(3),
journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s
neighborhoods. Click here to support Block Club with a tax-deductible donation.


 * Share on reddit
 * Share on facebook
 * Share on twitter
 * Share on email
 * Share on pinterest
 * Share on linkedin
 * Share on whatsapp

Block Club Chicago Staff



THE LATEST


MAN SHOT COUSIN, 2 FRIENDS OUTSIDE HIS WEST HUMBOLDT PARK HOME FOR ‘TALKING S—‘,
PROSECUTORS SAY

Police arrested Omar Sosa near his home, which is on the same West Humboldt Park
block where five people were shot, one fatally, Sunday evening.

Logan Square, Humboldt Park, Avondale
Mina Bloom
1 hour ago



MAN CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER IN STABBING OF HOTEL WORKER IN THE LOOP

The 56-year-old hotel worker remains in critical condition, prosecutors said.

Downtown
Melody Mercado
3 hours ago



MONTY THE PIPING PLOVER DIED FROM A SEVERE RESPIRATORY INFECTION, EXPERTS
ANNOUNCE

Monty died May 13 in front of volunteers who have watched over him since he and
his mate, Rose, arrived on the beach in 2019.

Uptown, Edgewater, Rogers Park
Joe Ward
3:29 PM CDT



PILSEN’S ALDERMAN FILES COMPLAINT AGAINST LIGHTFOOT OVER ST. ADALBERT CHURCH
REZONING

Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez accused the mayor of interfering in the church's
rezoning. He tried to downzone the church, but Lightfoot's allies blocked a vote
on the issue.

Pilsen, Little Village, West Loop
Madison Savedra
2:22 PM CDT



SEE MORE STORIES


COMMUNITY

 * Our Team
 * Board of Directors
 * Our Supporters
 * Block Club On WGN-AM
 * Free COVID-19 Hotline
 * Free Text Alerts


SUPPORT US!

 * Donate To Block Club Chicago
 * Newsletter Signup
 * Group Subscriptions
 * Press
 * Advertise
 * FAQ

 * Got a story tip? Email Newsroom@BlockClubChi.org.


BLOCK CLUB CHICAGO

Block Club Chicago is a nonprofit news organization dedicated to delivering
reliable, nonpartisan and essential coverage of Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods.
 * twitter
 * facebook

© Copyright 2022
Made in partnership with Lede