A 53-year-old man’s wallet was stolen, presumably by a self-identified homeless woman on the CTA train on Jan. 6 at 10:56 a.m. The two struck up a conversation while they rode, and the man, previously homeless himself, offered to buy the woman a sandwich at the Oak Park stop, which he did. When they got back on the train he began dozing off. Upon disembarking the train at the Forest Park stop, he realized his wallet was missing. He asked the woman if she took it, and she became nervous and ran away. The woman was not caught.

Soliciting without a permit

Police responded to a resident complaint of solicitors at a home on the 800 block of Thomas Avenue on Jan. 6 at 3:28 p.m. The resident stated that the solicitors had asked to see his ComEd bills and attempted to sell him something.

Reporting officers located two subjects with clipboards and black jackets, who said they were representing SFE Energy. They presented the reporting officer with a state of Illinois solicitor’s license and said they were going door to door attempting to save residents money on their energy bills. The two solicitors said they did not ask residents for a copy of their ComEd bills as part of their sales pitch. The officer told the solicitors that they need a permit from the village of Forest Park to solicit in town. They were issued local ordinance citations for soliciting without a permit.

Disorderly conduct at McDonald’s

Officers were called to the McDonald’s at 420 Desplaines Ave. on Jan. 7 at 9:04 p.m. for a disturbance. The suspect was standing outside the northeast door smoking a cigarette. A witness said the man had been inside the restaurant, speaking loudly and asking people for money. He became confrontational, and when he “threatened to kick everyone’s asses,” inviting them to step outside, the police were called. The manager on duty said the suspect was scaring the customers. 

The suspect, with a raised voice and clenched fists, was confrontational while speaking to officers and was taken into custody. 

Gaming systems and games stolen

An apartment on the 500 block of Desplaines Avenue was burglarized on Jan. 8 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. A burglar forced open the bathroom window, and the resident found her back door closed but unlocked. She reported locking it when she left for work. Ten items with a total value of over $1,000 were taken, including a Play Station 4, a Play Station Arcade Stick, Play Station games, a Good Chrome Book, and several Nintendo Switch games.

Two attempted home break-ins

A would-be burglar attempted to enter a home on the 7200 block of Jackson on Jan. 8 between 1:40 and 1:50 p.m. The offender broke a window screen and tried to open the window, which was locked, although the plastic locks were broken and the window was opened a few inches. Still, the offender couldn’t enter the apartment. When police watched a recording of the incident, they saw the offender try to enter the courtyard through two locked gates before eventually jumping over the fence. He was wearing a red and white stocking hat, gloves and blue sweatpants with a stripe.

Because of the proximity to Thorntons, officers asked employees there to review camera footage from around the time of the burglary and were able to see the offender exiting the passenger side of a white/silver minivan, leaving for about seven minutes, then returning. Unfortunately, the camera wasn’t able to capture a registration number of the car.

Officers responded to an apartment building on the 200 block of Desplaines Avenue on Jan. 9 at 5:41 p.m. when a resident called saying someone had unsuccessfully tried to break into her home. The officers observed significant and extensive damage to the door and door frame, including pry marks and broken pieces of wood from the door. There did not appear to be any damage to other residences in the building.

Two stores targeted

The front door of Forest Park Liquors, 7429 Madison St., was shattered, with glass strewn in the entryway, on Jan. 9 at 3:07 a.m. 

The store’s owner received a call from a neighbor notifying him of the damage, and the owner rushed to the store, where he had to unlock the door to gain entry. Upon reviewing video from the surveillance system, it was discovered that around 3:07 a.m. a small, dark-colored SUV slowly pulled up and positioned itself facing south on Burkhardt next to the store. A number of subjects exited the vehicle and opened the rear hatch. All then made their way to the front door, and one subject used a crowbar to smash the window to the front door. He then reached through and attempted to unlock the door but was unable to do so. The group returned to their vehicle and drove west on Madison Street. 

The owner said he also owns the Puff store in River Forest, and it was also burglarized overnight less than five minutes after the attempt at Forest Park Liquors. Store video at Puff shows offenders, who appear to be the same as the Forest Park attempt, using a crowbar once more. They tried to take the ATM machine but were unsuccessful since it is bolted to the floor.

Scuffle at Planet Fitness

A manager at Planet Fitness, 7530 Roosevelt Road, restrained a disorderly employee after being in a physical altercation with her on Jan. 11 at 11:37 a.m. The incident began when the employee was on the phone yelling and screaming in front of gym members. The manager suggested she go into the back, away from public view. But the employee continued screaming before throwing her phone across the room. She then approached the manager and began punching and scratching her. The manager, who reported not wanting to fight, managed to get on top of her and hold her arms down until other employees intervened. The employee left the scene before the police arrived. The reporting officer took photos and observed redness and scratches on the manager’s face. She refused medical treatment and only wished to document the incident, not file a formal complaint.

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, Jan. 6-12, 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