Forest Park police responded to the 1100 block of Harlem Avenue on the night of July 8 after someone called to report that someone had thrown a Molotov cocktail at the rear of a building there.

The 911 caller told police that at about 9:10 p.m. he heard a bottle break and observed a small fire ignite on the rear west wall of the building. The person said a small fire had started in the rear of the building but that he was able to extinguish it on his own.

Police reported seeing a broken glass bottle and what looked like a rag in the rear of the building in the midst of an area that appeared to have been burned. No other damage was reportedly done.

Bullet damages parked car

A 31-year-old Forest Park woman called police on July 9 at about 4:35 p.m. to report that sometime after 9 p.m. the previous day someone had fired a bullet through the fender of her car, which had been parked in a spot behind her building overnight.

The victim told police she went outside to take her vehicle to the car wash when she noticed a hole in the right side of the vehicle’s fender, just below the hood. The responding police officer noted that damage and then opened the hood, revealing more damage.

Police also recovered a small bullet jacket fragment from underneath the hood near the radiator of the vehicle. A neighbor told police that during the nighttime hours of July 8, he heard what he believed to be two gunshots coming from the alley and saw a newer model Mercedes-Benz sedan speed away southbound through the Harlem/Elgin alley.

Vehicle break-ins

  • Someone from Forest Park Foreign Car Repair, 7400 Harrison St., contacted police on July 8 to report that someone had burglarized a vehicle in the lot during the overnight hours.

According to the police report, the offender broke out the passenger side window of the Mercedes-Benz 300 Series vehicle and removed the radio.

  • Forest Park police responded to the 300 block of Desplaines Avenue on July 13 at about 10:20 a.m. after someone called to report a burglary to a vehicle that had just occurred.

The witness told police he was on his patio when he observed an unknown man looking into vehicles in the parking lot. The witness then saw the man use a brick to break the driver’s side window of a vehicle, enter it and remove something from the front passenger seat.

The victim said that a wallet containing identification, credit cards and about $420 in cash had been taken from the seat.

  • A resident of the 1000 block of Harlem Avenue called police on the morning of July 14 to report that during the overnight hours someone entered her unlocked vehicle, which was parked in the rear lot, and removed her purse.

When the victim woke up in the morning, she saw a text message from her bank stating that someone had attempted to use a credit card to purchase items at the Shell gas station at 7143 W. Roosevelt Road in Berwyn.

  • A resident of the 800 block of Elgin Avenue called police on the morning of July 14 to report that someone had entered her vehicle, which had been left unlocked, and ransacked the interior, removing two charging cables and a set of headphones.

A security camera captured partial video of someone inside her vehicle at about 2:50 a.m. that morning.

Minivan stolen

Police responded to the 1400 block of Circle Avenue on July 13 at 5:30 p.m. after a 67-year-old Oak Park man called to report that someone had stolen his tan 2006 Toyota Sienna minivan, which had been parked on the west side of the street at the north end of the block.

The victim said he parked the vehicle there at about 4:20 p.m. and that when he returned about an hour later, the van was gone. The victim also told police he keeps the keys to the vehicle under the driver’s seat.

Taken with the van was softball equipment, including Dimirini bats and a new Rawlings glove.

Gargoyle statue stolen

Police responded to the 1000 block of Marengo Avenue on the evening of July 12 after a resident called to report that someone had stolen a 50-pound gargoyle statue from his front yard. The victim said he had three such statues, and the one that was stolen was the biggest of the trio.

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, July 8-14, 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.