Vehicles stolen from Harlem Ave. gas stations
Forest Park police reported recovering a Hyundai Santa Fe stolen from the parking lot of 7-Eleven, 205 Harlem Ave., after a pursuit that ended when the offender crashed the vehicle on the I-290 eastbound ramp at Austin Boulevard on Nov. 20 about 8:40 a.m.
The teenage offender fled the vehicle on foot and was last seen running westbound on Harrison Street near Humphrey Avenue in Oak Park.
The victim told police he left his vehicle running and unlocked while he entered the convenience store. A subject wearing a white hooded sweatshirt jumped into the vehicle and drove away southbound on Harlem Avenue, followed closely behind by a white Mercedes-Benz SUV.
Oak Park police spotted the vehicles entering I-290 at Harlem Avenue and followed them. Both vehicles exited at Central Avenue, traveled southbound to Roosevelt Road. The Mercedes sped away eastbound on Roosevelt, while the Santa Fe turned northbound on Austin to I-290 where it crashed while trying to enter the eastbound expressway ramp.
According to police, the Santa Fe sustained damage to the front passenger side tire and rim. It was turned over to its owner, who said nothing appeared to be missing from the vehicle.
Surveillance camera video from a nearby Harlem Avenue business reportedly showed a white Mercedes SUV enter the 7-Eleven parking lot. A subject wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and a white baseball cap is seen running from the Mercedes to the Hyundai and entering it.
The Mercedes then pulls out into traffic to stop it and allow the Santa Fe to enter Harlem Avenue before both vehicles continue southbound.
A 46-year-old man called Forest Park police on Nov. 19 just before noon to report that someone had stolen his blue 2016 Toyota Camry, which he had left unlocked and running in the parking lot of Thorntons gas station, 601 Harlem Ave. while he went inside the store to make a purchase.
The victim stated he witnessed a gold Chrysler 300 pull up behind his vehicle. One of the two subjects in the Chrysler exited and entered the Toyota. Both vehicles were last seen entering I-290 eastbound.
Chicago police later reported recovering the Toyota in the 7800 block of Hubbard Street.
Vehicle break-ins
A resident of the 800 block of Beloit Avenue reported that sometime prior to 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 19, someone entered her unlocked vehicle, which was parked on the street in front of her residence and ransacked it.
The victim stated that nothing of value appeared to be missing.
A 38-year-old man reported that surveillance camera video showed someone entered his unlocked vehicle, which was parked in the 7600 block of Roosevelt Road, and ransacked it at 10 p.m. on Nov. 18.
It was not clear from the report if anything of value was missing from the vehicle. The victim, however, told police it was the second such incident at the property.
Police responded to the 1100 block of Ferdinand Avenue on the morning of Nov. 14 after a resident called to report that someone had entered his unlocked vehicle, which was parked in the rear of the property, and rifled through the glove compartment.
Nothing was reported missing from the vehicle.
Garage burglary
A resident of the 1100 block of Beloit Avenue reported that sometime on Nov. 16-17 someone kicked in the locked side service door of his garage and removed copper piping, miscellaneous tools and a 50-gallon Bradford water heater. The loss was estimated at $5,000.
Mad no one will play
Forest Park police charged a 29-year-old River Forest man with criminal damage to property after he allegedly threw a beer bottle at a window at Circle Inn, 7300 Circle Ave., about 12:50 a.m. on Nov. 18.
The offender left before police arrived, but they located him inside a nearby sandwich shop, where they took him into custody.
According to police, the offender was highly intoxicated and had become upset that no one in the bar would shoot a game of pool with him. The man was about to walk out of the bar with his bottle of beer. When he was told by the bartender he couldn’t leave the bar with the bottle, the man allegedly threw it at a window, shattering it. A neon beer sign was also damaged, police said.
Package stolen
A resident of the 200 block of Desplaines Avenue reported that a package delivered by UPS to his residence at 10 a.m. on Nov. 14 was missing when he returned home at 6 p.m. that day.
The package contained a KitchenAid food mixer valued at about $450.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, Nov. 14-20, and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Unless otherwise indicated, anybody named in these reports has only been charged with a crime. These cases have not been adjudicated.
—Compiled by Bob Uphues
