Prison Break: Joliet Firefighters Use Sledgehammer to Free Teen Locked in Cell at Abandoned Prison

A teenage girl exploring the shuttered Joliet Correctional Center on Collins Street with a friend accidentally found herself in lockup on Monday.

Joliet Fire Department Battalion Chief Mike Stromberg said the girls were likely to get into the prison through a hole in the fence.

While exploring the abandoned prison, which closed in 2002, “One of them went into a cell and shut the door behind her,” Stromberg said.

After struggling unsuccessfully to get the door open, the duo called for help.

The girls tried to avoid getting the police involved by calling the fire department’s front desk instead of 911, Stromberg said.

“They didn’t want to get in trouble,” he said. “I think they Googled ‘Joliet Fire Department’ and they ended up talking to one of the secretaries in our office.”

It took firefighters about 45 minutes to break through the cell wall.

“We ended up knocking a hole in a cinder block and she crawled through,” said Stromberg, who noted that the girl did not require medical care after her escape.

“She was just a little bit frightened,” he said.

Unfortunately for the teens, police did show up on the scene of the jailbreak.

Illinois State Police said the teens, who are not from the Joliet area, will be charged with trespassing, according to the Herald-News. Call to state police was not immediately returned on Wednesday.

The prison, made famous by the 1980 hit “The Blues Brothers” has long been closed to the public, but this isn’t the first break-in.

Last June, a video surfaced online of a young man apparently exploring the century-and-a-half-old prison.

>>>> Check Out Creepy, Abandoned Joliet Prison in ‘Urbex’ Video

The structure has also fallen victim to fires. In 2014, a plan was in the works to make the site a tourist attraction with tours and events.

Also read:

• Joliet Officials, Museum Considering Prison Tours
• Overnight Fire Destroys Old Joliet Prison Warehouse
• Time's Running Out to Save the Old Joliet Prison, Officials Say