Will County, IL – In an unexpected turn of events, firefighters responding to a call in Will County on Tuesday, uncovered evidence of an alleged burglary at an abandoned US Steel building.
According to the Joliet Fire Department, crews arrived at the scene around 9:28 a.m. after reports of smoke near the 900 block of Collins Street. Inside the building, they discovered several small fires, alongside suspicious items including stripped copper wire, a Jeep Compass missing a tire, a Polaris Sportsman ATV, and various tools.
The Joliet Police Department, following up on this discovery, reviewed surveillance footage from a neighboring business. The footage reportedly depicted two men carrying a vehicle tire away from the building. This led to the questioning of Pedro Rodriguez-Castaneda (35, Joliet) and Erick Mazariegos-Roldan (47, Joliet), who were later arrested and charged with burglary, possession of burglary tools, criminal trespass to real property, and criminal damage to property.Â
Both men reportedly admitted to their involvement after being challenged by police about the stolen Jeep Compass, initially reported as stolen by Rodriguez-Castaneda. An investigation into the case remains ongoing.
