Joliet Man, 18, Attempted To Steal Car, Caught By Neighbor: Police

JOLIET, IL — An 18-year-old Joliet man is in custody after police said he attempted to steal a car after officers found the man inside the vehicle earlier this week.

Javier Morales was taken to the Will County Jail and was charged with the attempted theft of a motor vehicle, burglary to a vehicle, possession of burglary tools, and criminal damage to property, police said Wednesday.

Police were called to the 400 block of Buell Avenue just after 2 a.m. on Tuesday when police said a resident saw Morales inside one of their neighbor’s vehicles. The neighbor had held Morales at gunpoint until police arrived.

The neighbor told police said they were on their porch when they saw someone inside the vehicle with a flashlight. The neighbor approached the vehicle wearing gloves and called the police. After taking Morales into custody, police found the man to be in possession of a flathead screwdriver and saw that the flashlight function on Morales’ phone was on, police said.

Police also found that the steering column of the car was stripped and the ignition appeared to be tampered with.