Man suffered injuries from fall at abandoned Joliet steel mill building, police say

A man has been hospitalized after he suffered injuries from a fall at an abandoned steel mill building in Joliet, police said.

About 8:30 a.m. Friday, officers responded to an area near the Joliet Iron Works Historic Site, 75 Columbia St., in response to a report of a man who had been injured from a fall somewhere on the site, Joliet police Sgt. Dwayne English said.

Officers determined information about the incident was received from a third party who was not at the scene but had been contacted by the victim, English said.

“Numerous officers and Joliet Fire Department members checked the area but could not locate any injured party,” English said.

A drone also was deployed to assist in the search, he said.

The search, which lasted for almost two hours, originally started on Columbia Street, but it progressed north to the 900 block of Collins Street, English said.

Officers found a 37-year-old man in an abandoned steel mill building in the 900 block of Collins Street, English said.

English said it is believed the man had fallen about 30 feet from a catwalk based on information from the fire department.

The man was taken to Ascension Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet.

“The events leading up to the fall are unknown at this time,” English said.