15-year-old boy charged with arson in Old Joliet Prison fire

JOLIET, Ill. (WLS) -- Joliet police said a 15-year-old boy has been charged with one count of arson after the Old Joliet Prison caught fire Monday night.

Police said the teen, who is from Joliet, was identified after they posted a surveillance image of two boys on their Facebook page who were seen in the vicinity of the crime. Both boys are 15, police said. The second has not been arrested or charged as of Tuesday evening.

Police said the teen will appear Wednesday morning at the River Valley Juvenile Justice Center.

Chopper 7HD was over the scene Tuesday morning. Smoke was still rising from the burned building.

Police and firefighters were called to the scene in the 1100-block of Collins Street around 7:35 p.m. Monday. Heavy smoke was coming from a building in the northeast corner of the prison.

Video from firefighters' body cameras showed the intense flames they had to battle. Firefighters spent hours at the scene overnight, putting out hot spots. No injuries were reported.

The Illinois Department of Corrections owns the prison, which was made famous by the movies "The Blues Brothers" and "Let's Go to Prison," as well as the TV series "Prison Break."

The Old Joliet Prison has been closed since 2002. There was another fire there in 2013.

The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.