Gun-toting neighbor nabs Joliet car burglar: Cops

Joliet — A man saw another man trying to break into a vehicle in Joliet and held him at gunpoint until officers arrived to arrest Javier Morales, police said.

Morales, 18, of Joliet, was the suspected burglar of a Hyundai Elantra. He was arrested, Joliet police Sgt. Dwayne English said.

About 2:20 a.m. Tuesday, officers arrived to stop a vehicle burglary in progress in the 400 block of Buell Avenue, English said.

The officers found that a 42-year-old man discovered Morales inside his neighbor’s Hyundai Elantra and held Morales at gunpoint until officers arrived, English said.

The man was on his front porch when he saw what appeared to be a man with a flashlight inside his neighbor’s vehicle parked on the street, English said.

He approached the vehicle and found Morales inside while wearing gloves, English said.

Officers inspected the interior of the vehicle and saw the steering column was stripped and the ignition appeared to have been tampered with, he said.

Morales is jailed at Will County jail on a $30,000 bond.