Crime & Safety
Man Crashed Into Darien Home In Restaurant Van: Cops
He ran away, but officers identified him through his belongings, police said. He had taken the restaurant van without permission, cops say.
DARIEN, IL – A man was arrested last week after taking a Downers Grove restaurant's van and crashing it into a Darien house, police said.
The man was identified as Romas Stanelis, 45, of Naperville. The van was from Grand Duke's Restaurant, which serves Lithuanian cuisine
About 8:30 p.m. May 28, a 78-year-old man on Wilcox Avenue was watching YouTube videos when he heard a loud noise, according to a Darien police report. He thought his son had fallen down the stairs.
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The resident then saw smoke and the van and told his son to call the police and fire departments. He yelled at Stanelis to stop, but Stanelis would not, police said.
A neighbor told officers that he also ordered Stanelis to stop and get out of the van, which Stanelis did, police said. Then Stanelis ran away, prompting the neighbor to chase after him unsuccessfully.
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Downers Grove police told Darien officers that Stanelis had taken the van without the owner's consent. They said he was facing charges there as well.
Officers found Stanelis' Chicago plumber's apprentice license in the van, along with a Lithuanian identification under another name, police said.
Stanelis was arrested five days later. He was charged with failing to give information after damaging property, driving with a revoked or suspended license, and driving an uninsured vehicle.
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