Community Corner
š± Patch AM: Panic Alarm At Joliet Used Car Lot After Customer Pulls Gun On 2 Employees: Police
Happening soon: Sontag Speed Supplies Car Show on the Joliet Patch calendar

Good day Joliet! We're here again with what you need to know today. Grab a cup of coffee and read on. ☕️️
In today's newsletter:
- Customer dispute at Joliet used car lot escalates into armed confrontation
- West Jefferson retailer helps nab alleged beer thief near BP station
- Guilty plea and 20-year sentence in Joliet Metra track killing
Also on today's calendar: Sontag Speed Supplies Car Show and 9 more events.
Today's riddle: What did the tree say when Spring arrived? 🤔 (Answer below!)
- Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high of 82 and low of 60 degrees.
- Saturday: Partly sunny and humid, temps: high: 81, low: 65.
- Sunday: Partly sunny, warm and humid, with a high of 87 and low of 68 degrees. 🌶 Hot!
📰 News we're reading
1. Panic Alarm At Joliet Used Car Lot After Customer Pulls Gun On 2 Employees: Police (patch.com) — Joliet residents are learning more about a tense confrontation at Ride AutoHaus on Ruby Street, where police say a customer pointed a handgun at two employees during an argument over a previously purchased vehicle. Officers responded to a panic alarm, recovered the man's legally owned firearm, reviewed surveillance video that supported the workers' account, and arrested him on aggravated assault charges before releasing him on a pre-trial notice to appear.
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2. Beer Thief Busted By West Jefferson Business, Joliet Police Make Arrest Over At BP Station: Cops (patch.com) — People in Joliet are hearing how a local business on West Jefferson Street helped stop an alleged beer theft that ended with an arrest at the nearby BP station. Police say a 37-year-old Joliet man, already on pretrial release and barred from the store, was caught with the stolen beer and is now back in the Will County Jail on felony retail theft and related charges.
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3. Joliet Man Decapitated By CSX Train: Steven Spangler's Killer Learns Sentence For Shoving Him Into Tracks (patch.com) — Joliet residents are learning the outcome of a brutal 2022 killing on the downtown Metra tracks, where homeless resident Steven Spangler was pushed into the path of a freight train. Carlos Hernandez has now pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and received a 20-year prison sentence, following a Metra Police investigation that relied on surveillance video, eyewitness accounts and assistance from Joliet police and fire crews.
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4. Joliet's Black Joy Parade: These Streets Must Be Closed For Traffic Control, Joliet Police Advise Everyone (patch.com) — Downtown Joliet drivers should prepare for significant street closures and heavy foot traffic during Saturday's Black Joy Parade, as police block key stretches of Chicago, Jefferson, Cass and nearby streets. Joliet Police outline where residents can park, how to access decks, and note that certified drone operators will monitor the event for real-time public safety.
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5. Mexican Independence Day Parade Returning To Joliet: Decorative Floats, Marching Bands, Dancers (patch.com) — Joliet's long-running Mexican Independence Day Parade returns Saturday, Sept. 12 at 1 p.m. along the historic Collins Street Corridor, celebrating Mexican heritage with floats, bands, and dancers. This year's event also honors three religious communities for decades of service to Joliet families and neighborhoods.
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📸 Around Joliet
Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!
🗓 Upcoming Events in Joliet
Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!
★ Featured events ★
- Sontag Speed Supplies Car Show →
Sontag Speed Supplies, 1931 Donmaur Dr, Crest Hill
10:00 am - La Gringa — Teatro en Español en Joliet →
Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park, 201 W Jefferson St, Joliet
7:00 pm - Will County Recyclepalooza: Drop Off Unwanted Electronics, Household Hazardous Waste, and More →
New Lenox, IL,
8:00 am
Saturday August 29
Friday September 11
Saturday September 12
Want to see your event featured? Click here!
Other local events
- Summer Extraordinaire Vendors Event →
265 Republic Ave, Joliet
9:00 am - Ugly Kid Joe At The Forge →
The Forge, 22 W Cass St, Joliet
6:30 pm - Ugly Kid Joe, Wheatus, platinum moon →
The Forge, 22 W Cass St, Joliet
6:30 pm - Holiday Food Basket Sign-up →
Will County Center For Community Concerns, 2455 Glenwood Ave, Joliet
12:00 pm - THE CENTER Young Adults →
1451 B Black Rd, Joliet
6:00 pm - Toastmasters - Where leaders are made! →
40 Houbolt Rd, Joliet
9:00 am - Labor Day UNLIMITED Attractions Wristband at Haunted Trails (Joliet) →
Haunted Trails Family Entertainment Center & Picnics, 1423 N Broadway St, Joliet
12:00 pm - September Meeting of 100+ Women Who Care of Will County →
Coom's Corner Sports Grill, 1225 E 9th St, Lockport
6:00 pm - In Memory of our Fallen Heroes 5K →
801 N Chicago St, Elwood
6:00 pm
Saturday August 29
Tuesday September 1
Thursday September 3
Saturday September 5
Monday September 7
Tuesday September 8
Friday September 11
📣 Joliet Shout Outs!
Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!
Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.
Thank you 👏👏👏 to these businesses for making Joliet PatchAM possible:
- Timbers of Shorewood — (815) 609-0669
- Bisa Lina Cannabis Dispensary — (815) 418-0200
- Carlson-Holmquist-Sayles Funeral Home & Crematory — (815) 744-0022
- Fred C. Dames Funeral Home and Crematory
- Will County Children's Advocacy Center — 815-774-4565
- Meals on Wheels for Northern Illinois — (312) 207-5290
- Kobi's Massage Therapist — (312) 219-4103
- Oswego Service Group, LLC — (630) 892-2400
- Marker Law, LLC — (331) 295-8005
Click here to show your appreciation! 💚
Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.
💬 Chatter
What your neighbors are talking about on social media
- New Academic Advisors Appointed in Joliet District 86 —Joliet Public Schools District 86 Read on Patch
- Back-to-school checklist: Don't forget your library card —Joliet Public Library Read on Patch
- Joliet Public Library to host Fandom, Arts & Music Expo —Joliet Public Library Read on Patch
- Obituary: Hildegarde June Schildgen —Fred C. Dames Funeral Home Read on Patch
- Obituary: Raul Gutierrez —Fred C. Dames Funeral Home Read on Patch
- "The gift of a connection with nature is the ability to communicate with and benefit from the great wisdom that awaits you there and to awaken yourself to a new level of being'.
- Brooke Medicine Eagle, from her book 'The Last Ghost Dance' ( photos by DLK ) Brooke has dedicated her life and teachings to honoring Earth &… (Nextdoor Ingalls Park) - Looking for a landscape company to clear the ground of roots, brush, etc.
for fence installers. Also would like some trees trimmed as well. (Nextdoor Neufairfield)
- Warehouse Services, Inc. posted a job opening for Material Handler/Transportation Clerk $1500 SIGN ON BONUS in Joliet. Apply here.
- XPO Logistics, Inc. posted a job opening for Forklift Operator - Afternoon Shift in Joliet. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Joliet here.
Ok Joliet! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: What a re-leaf! (Thank you Flo G. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!
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