A 53-year-old Wisconsin man died after being hit by a car on the 1500 block of Harlem Avenue on Dec. 17 at 8:18 p.m. The victim, Jerome Erdman of Wautoma, Wisconsin, was taken to the hospital but did not survive his injuries. Officers called to the scene found the man lying on the street with his head on the curb. He was unresponsive and having trouble breathing and died the following day. The driver said the light had just turned green and he was unable to stop in time when the victim stepped out from behind a black truck and into traffic. Witnesses confirmed the driver’s report. 

Armed robbery at 7-11

Police were called to the 7-11 at 205 Harlem Ave. on Dec. 18 at 4:19 a.m. after two men entered the store with a handgun and demanded all the money in the register. The employee opened both registers and handed the money to one of the perpetrators. Both assailants were described as black males. One was between 5-feet-6 and 5-feet-10, wearing a grey and white striped hoodie with the hood up. He had on black pants and a black mask partially covering his face. The second perpetrator was between 5-8 and 6 feet tall, wearing a black or dark blue puffy coat with the hood up, black pants, and a black mask partially covering his face. Neither man wore gloves. The two men were not apprehended.

Man forces way into neighbor’s apartment

A woman’s apartment building neighbor on the 7400 block of Washington Street forced his way into her apartment on Dec. 16 at 2:35 p.m. She recognized him through the peephole when he knocked on her door. He crashed against her door, which flew open with such force it sent her careening against the closet wall and to the floor. The woman fled from the apartment and down to the parking lot where she called police.

When police questioned the neighbor, he said he knew the woman from church and was bringing a magazine that she subscribed to, which he brought from the lobby. The man admitted he was on medication for schizophrenia but said he was feeling fine. His aunt came outside and begged the police not to arrest her nephew since they are moving out of town and won’t be seen again, but the victim said it wasn’t the first time he had acted out, he routinely scared her, and she wanted to sign complaints for battery. 

The man was arrested.

Contributing to the delinquency of a minor

A 23-year-old man was arrested for contributing to the criminal delinquency of a juvenile at Walmart, 1300 Desplaines Ave. on Dec. 16. He had placed multiple items from the store into a shopping cart then, in the back of the store, he put the items into bags. He allowed his 12-year-old nephew to push the cart past the registers while he zipped up his 3-year old’s jacket. The trio were stopped near the exit, and the nephew fled into the parking lot. The man was allowed to call his wife, who came to pick up their son before he was transported to the police department and charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The items in the cart were worth just over $500.

Extension cord stolen

A resident on the 500 block of Circle Avenue reported that several boxes, delivered to his house, including a Walmart package and an Amazon delivery, had been moved from one location on his porch and opened, though the contents were accounted for. However, a green 50-foot extension cord used for his outdoor holiday display had been stolen. Although the resident has a Ring doorbell camera, it was not quick enough to capture the offender. 

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, Dec. 15-19, 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 Maria Maxham