Police: 5 More Intruders Arrested At Old Joliet Prison

JOLIET, IL — The Old Joliet Prison remains off-limits for public sightseeing tours conducted by the Joliet Area Historical Museum amid the new coronavirus outbreak, but that is not stopping people from trying to gain illegal access to the property. Early Sunday morning, Joliet's Police Department arrested five people from Wheeling and Grayslake on charges of criminal trespassing.

Joliet police said the arrested persons were: Alfredo C. Hernandez, 19, of Wheeling; Mario E. Hernandez-Flores, 22, of Grayslake; Jose L. Ledezma, 19, of Wheeling; Ivan Navarro, 19, of Grayslake; and Christian Ruiz, 18, of Wheeling.

Around 12:40 a.m. on Sunday, Joliet police officers responded to the Old Joliet Prison at 1125 Collins St. for a trespassing complaint.

"Officers arrived and observed Hernandez, Hernandez-Flores, Ledezma, Navarro, and Ruiz all inside the prison property without authorization. Officers stopped all five ... and took them into custody without further issue," police reports show.

On April 13, Joliet Patch reported that five young adults from suburban Streamwood were arrested on criminal trespassing charges at the Old Joliet Prison.

More than a year ago, the city of Joliet made a substantial financial investment in a state-of-the-art, high-tech video camera surveillance system for the Old Joliet Prison grounds. The city's video surveillance system triggers a silent alarm that alerts the Joliet Police Department whenever someone is trespassing on the property along Collins Street.