Man pleads guilty to using explosive to damage Naperville restaurant

An Aurora man pleaded guilty to federal charges after being accused of throwing an explosive device inside a suburban restaurant last June.

Diego Vargas, 26, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of maliciously attempting to damage and destroy a building by means of an explosive device, the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Northern District of Illinois said in a statement.

He is facing up to 20 years in prison for the charge, the attorney’s office said.

Vargas threw a lit explosive device through the window of Egg Harbor Cafe in Naperville on June 1, 2020, resulting in two explosions, prosecutors said. He also admitted to trying to steal cash a night earlier from an ATM in Aurora.

He admitted that he struck the ATM with a baseball bat and a metal pole from a street sign to try and pry it open, prosecutors said.

Naperville and Aurora were among the many suburban communities hit by looting in the unrest following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis that year.

Vargas’ sentencing hearing was scheduled for Sept 2.