How Did Elderly Man Get In Elmhurst Quarry?

ELMHURST, IL — The search for an elderly man in Elmhurst Quarry late last Tuesday night created a lot of attention, with a helicopter deployed in the effort. The man later told officers he was following the moon and stars to find his way home. But how did he get into the quarry in the first place?

Through a public records request, Elmhurst Patch obtained the Elmhurst police report on the incident. Shortly after 10 p.m., officers were called to the quarry, which is behind the 400 block of Second Street. A fuel tanker employee noticed an older man wearing all black clothing walking into the opened southeast gate of the quarry like he belonged there, police said. The employee said he had the gate open so his truck could get in.

The man walked into an area with a small ledge, which leads to a straight drop into a partially water-filled quarry, according to the police report. Officers searched the accessible parts of the quarry. But a police commander determined it was too dangerous to search on the quarry side of the fencing because of the darkness and the lack of knowledge about the extent of the walkable area. A Chicago police helicopter was called to help.

Shortly before 11 p.m., a resident reported someone was seen going through a fence at Second Street and West Avenue. An officer in the helicopter saw movement in that area.

Officers used a public address system for the man to show himself or call out his location, the report said. He did not answer. Officers eventually heard the man's movement and cut into the fence and rescued him, police said.

Police said the man appeared confused about where he was and exhausted from walking the ledge of the quarry. He had unhealed wounds on both hands and lower legs and a deformed left ankle because he was struck by a train as a child, police said.

The man said he was from Maine but came back from Chicago that night, police said. He later said he took a bus from Chicago and was following the moon and stars so that he could go home. His listed address is Hines VA Hospital in Maywood, police said. He was taken to Elmhurst Hospital for an evaluation.

According to the report, the police did not charge the man because of his mental state.

DuPage County Stormwater Management, which owns the quarry, repaired the gate and fence the next day, police said.