Chicago's 'Walking Man' dies 7 months after being set on fire downtown

Monday, December 12, 2022
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Joseph Kromelis - the famed "Walking Man" of downtown Chicago has died nearly seven months after an attacker set him on fire, the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office said Sunday.

The 75-year-old Kromelis was a familiar face in downtown Chicago.
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He earned the nickname the "Walking Man" because he was often seen roaming the area on foot.

Melrose Park man arrested for allegedly setting Chicago's 'Walking Man' on fire while asleep: CPD

In May he was critically injured while he slept on the ground at Kinzie Street and Lower Wabash Avenue.
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Someone doused him with a flammable liquid and lit him on fire.

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Joseph Guardia was charged with attempted murder and arson after the attack.
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