Chicago crime: Firework thrown into food truck on West Side, police say

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Someone lit a firework and threw it into a food truck on the West Side Tuesday night, Chicago police said.

The incident occurred in the 3300-block of West Roosevelt Road at about 8:29 p.m., police said.

The food truck was owned by Baldemor Figueroa, who was winding down business at the independently owned taco truck near Douglass Park on Roosevelt when the incident happened.

"He noticed someone was throwing rocks at his truck. The next thing he notices, they threw an explosive from the window inside," said Normal Bonilla, friend of Figueroa's.

Surveillance video from a nearby liquor store shows that moment in slow motion: a wind-up, a flaming device, then a sudden flash from inside the truck.

The explosion left a small hole in the floor, parts of the truck's walls came down, and the windows shattered.

After the firework exploded, police said the 34-year-old suffered a small laceration to his leg. He declined medical attention at the scene.

Bonilla said Figueroa had spent years working as a chef in restaurants before opening his own business.

"He saved enough money over 16 years to purchase this," she said.

In March, Figueroa finished $12,000 worth of additions to his truck. Now his new dream kitchen is in shambles.

The bomb squad was called out as a precaution.

Police said the person who lit the firework took off before officers arrived. Area Four detectives are investigating.

Figueroa is the latest in a growing list of food vendors who have been attacked and stripped of their earnings on the street.

"They're not asking for food stamps, they're not asking for nothing," Bonilla said. "They work. They save their money to get something better for themselves."

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