Boy, 16, Dies After 100-Foot Fall At Abandoned Property Near Old Joliet Prison Site: Joliet Police

JOLIET, IL — Joliet police spokesman Dwayne English confirmed to Patch that a teenage boy fell to his death over the weekend at a vacant industrial property on the community's east side.

According to English, at 12:58 a.m.on Sunday, officers responded to the area of Louise Ray Parkway east of Collins Street after learning someone fell from a nearby abandoned industrial building.

He said the officers located a critically injured 16-year-old boy who had reportedly fallen from an abandoned rock quarry structure. Officers immediately began providing medical aid
until personnel from the Joliet Fire Department arrived and assumed lifesaving efforts.

Despite these efforts, the boy was later pronounced dead at the scene by the Will County Coroner’s Office, English said. He said officers found four additional juvenile boys who had been with the victim at the time of the incident.

"It was learned that the group had entered the abandoned rock quarry building to explore the property and had made their way to an upper portion of the structure. Preliminary information indicates that the victim fell through an opening in the structure and fell approximately 100 feet," English said.

The four juveniles were brought to the Joliet Police Department, where they were interviewed and later released to their parents. The cause and manner of death will be determined by the Will County Coroner’s Office, he added.

Manhattan Patch reported on Monday that less than a year after the deaths of two junior high students, the Manhattan community was mourning the unexpected death of the 16-year-old, who was identified as Tony Reed Jr.

Reed was a sophomore at Lincoln-Way West and a graduate of Manhattan District 114 schools.

"We are heartbroken after the tragic and unexpected loss of Anthony Reed, Jr., on August 30," family wrote in an online fundraiser. "His life was taken far too soon, and Courtney, Tony, and Elayna are experiencing unimaginable loss. We are asking for support to help cover the funeral and memorial expenses as we lay him to rest and honor his life. This was a sudden event, and any help would mean a lot to us right now."