Joseph Guardia Melrose Park, Chicago man charged with attempted murder and arson setting homeless man Joseph Kromelis aka the ‘The Walking Man’ on fire.
A Chicago man has been arrested for allegedly attempting to set a sleeping downtown homeless man on fire last week.
Joseph Guardia of Melrose Park is accused of approaching his 75 year old victim, who was asleep near the Trump Tower, circa 3 a.m Wednesday morning and pouring flammable liquid on him and ignited it before fleeing.
A nearby security officer saw the man on fire and jumped into action using a fire extinguisher to put out the fire. Surveillance camera near the crime scene identified Guardia as the suspect CBS Chicago reported.
Guardia upon his arrest two days later was charged with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated arson with bodily harm.
The homeless man, Joseph Kromelis, known as the ‘The Walking Man’ in the community has been walking the streets of Chicago for years. He is best known for his signature long white hair, moustache and for typically wearing a sports coat. Kromelis came to be affectionately called “The Walking Man” by locals who have seen him frequently roaming the city’s streets for decades.
Kromelis remained in critical condition with 65% of his body having burns.
It’s not the first time that Kromelis has been targeted. In 2016, the long time homeless man was beaten with a baseball bat and hospitalised. At the time, Kromelis refused to press charges against his assailant.
Ali Simmons, who works with the Law Project of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, told FOX 32 Chicago that the Chicago streets are not safe.
‘For folks living out here on the streets, it’s not safe. There is violence out here. We need to make sure everyone has somewhere safe to go,’ Simmons said. ‘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.’
Activists say many more crimes against the homeless go unreported.
Guardia is expected to appear in bond court Monday.
It remained unclear what motivated Guardia in setting his homeless victim alight.
