A third man has been charged with flooding parts of Trump Tower, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage, after he and two friends were denied service at a bar because they were intoxicated, police said.
Daniel T. Maradei, of the 4100 block of Woodlake Drive in Hanover Park, was charged with felony criminal damage to property and was due in court today, authorities said. His two friends, Carl Koenemann, 25, and Benjamin Nitch, 25, were charged earlier in the week.
The three were at a bar on the 16th floor of Trump Tower and ordered drinks shortly after 5 p.m. Saturday, prosecutors said. But they were refused service because they were intoxicated, police said.
Nitch and Koenemann were caught on video taking a fire exit staircase to the tower's sixth floor, where they turned on a water valve, releasing thousands of gallons of water and flooding two elevators, according to court records.
The water valve, which pours out about 250 gallons of water per minute, was left open for 10 minutes, prosecutors said. The water was "black, with a strong musty odor," and caused "extensive damage" to several areas of the tower at 401 N. Wabash Ave., including the elevator shafts, Asst. State's Atty. Erin Antonietti said.
The damage to the elevators alone totaled more than $700,000, prosecutors said.
Nitch and Koenemann, both charged with criminal damage to property, appeared in court Tuesday and were released on $100,000 personal recognizance bonds, with electronic home monitoring required.
Rachel Cromidas is a reporter for RedEye, Rosemary Regina Sobol is a reporter for the Tribune