Joliet Canal's Jet Ski Enthusiast Is Back: Video

JOLIET, IL — The mysterious Jet Ski rider Joliet Patch first wrote about back in early March returned to the dirty canal waters on Friday to have some fun.

He was splashing and having a blast near the Jefferson Street Bridge across the street from the Joliet police station and City Hall.

When he saw Joliet Patch's editor standing along the walkway filming him, he sped his personal watercraft over and made time for an interview.

He said his name is Van, and he is 59 years old.

"I bet you figured that I had to be someone like 20 or 25 years old," he smiled.

Van told Joliet Patch he lives in Joliet near the Will County Sheriff's Office facility.

He said he was the person that the Joliet Patch photographed zipping along the canal waters back in March.

Van said he's been bringing his personal water craft to the Joliet canal for the past 20 years. He typically puts them in the water over by the Brandon Road Locks and Dam, near Rockdale.

He said he owns three different colored Jet Skis as well as a boat. He said he planned to take his Jet Skis up to Lake Michigan this weekend.

Sometimes, he brings them to the Joliet canal just to tune them up and make sure they're ready to go. Over the years, Van said he has given rides to a number of people who saw him out riding along the Des Plaines River, including some of the children who have lived near the Evergreen Terrace public housing complex near North Broadway Street.

With a giant smile and a cigarette dangling from his mouth, Van ended our interview, but not before suggesting he'll probably be back in the very near future. He suggested that Joliet Patch's editor should consider riding along with him.

He said he would supply an extra life jacket for the river excursion.

Van dismissed the longstanding notion around the Joliet area that the canal is bad for your health. After all, he's been coming out here for 20 years now and there's no slowing him down.