27-Year-Old Man In Custody For Setting Elderly Man On Fire While He Was Sleeping

A 27-year-old man was charged with attempted murder and aggravated arson after he allegedly set an elderly man, 75, on fire while he was sleeping in River North.

Joseph Guardia of Melrose Park was taken into custody after the incident, said Chicago police as reported by Fox 32 Chicago. The victim, Joseph Kromelis, is known as Chicago's "Walking Man" as he has been seen walking Chicago's streets for years. The elderly man was sleeping on North Lower Wabash early Wednesday morning.

That's when someone poured flammable liquid on him and lit him on fire. Soon a fire extinguisher was used by a security official who was working near the site of the attack. It helped to put the flames out. Still, 65 % of his body had burns. He was taken to Northwestern Hospital in critical condition.

The Chicago streets are not safe, said Ali Simmons, who works with the Law Project of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, reported Fox News. He shared that people living out on the streets, it's not safe and that there is "violence out here." He added that people need to make sure "everyone has somewhere safe to go." Simmons noted that it's time out for "passing the buck and not doing anything about a problem that we know is very serious and it's costing people their lives."

Kromelis was beaten with a bat and hospitalized in another brutal attack that happened six years ago.

Richard Roeper wrote for The Chicago Sun-Times that it's been nearly 30 years since he first wrote about the Walking Man. According to the writer, Kromelis cut a striking figure with his long flowing hair, his 1970s mustache and his spiffy sports jackets and was always walking. From time to time, he'd hear from readers or colleagues who had spotted the elderly man. They were always delighted by the sighting. He said that there was something reassuring about the Walking Man, and it seemed he’d be around forever.

He is quite famous and there is also a YouTube video from 2006 titled, “The Walking Dude, a Dudementary." It consists of grainy footage of the elderly man walking.

When Roeper approached him in October 1998, the journalist said, “People always see you walking all over the city, every day. … Are you going anywhere in particular?” Kromelis replied, “Yeah, I walk all right." He shared that he liked to walk, but he worked as well. He said that he worked in the Loop. At the time of interaction, he said that he had to "go to work right now.” With that, he broke into a jog and went on his way, and now he’s fighting for his life.