Joseph Kromelis, a fixture well known in downtown Chicago streets as “Walking Man,” has died months after he was set on fire in May while sleeping on the street.
According to the Cook County medical examiner’s office, Kromelis, 75, died Sunday evening. The office said Kromelis had been hospitalized since his attack but did not disclose the cause of death.
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Kromelis, recognized by his long, wavy white hair, mustache and signature coat, was sleeping under blankets on the 400 block of North Lower Wabash Avenue when police said 27-year-old Joseph Guardia doused Kromelis in gasoline and set him on fire. Severe burns sustained from the attack covered more than half of his body.
By late June, Kromelis appeared to be recovering faster than authorities initially expected, improving his condition from critical to serious.
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Guardia told Cook County authorities that he attacked Kromelis because he’s an “angry person,” providing no other motive. Guardia was captured on surveillance footage stood silently over Kromelis’ body for 16 seconds. He then walked to a nearby intersection and returned to pour gasoline over Kromelis’ head. Kromelis’ upper body went up in flames.
The attack is the second that the “Walking Man” suffered in six years. In 2016, Kromelis was beaten by an individual carrying a baseball bat. The attack left him hospitalized for several weeks. In response, community members rallied around the local celebrity and raised more than $33,000 on a GoFundMe page in support of his recovery. At least two GoFundMe’s were created in the wake of the May 25 attack, with each raising about $5,000 for Kromelis.
Guardia is charged with attempted murder and arson.
