A woman was caught with several packages, two of which were confirmed stolen from the area near the Forest Park Public Library.
On Dec. 19 at around 1:06 p.m., a woman who was dragging a blue wagon behind her was spotted taking two packages from a porch of a home on the 600 block of Beloit Avenue and putting it her wagon. The victim saw her heading north in the alley between Beloit and Ferdinand Avenues.
An officer driving north on the nearby stretch of Desplaines Avenue when he was alerted of the theft. He spotted a woman matching the thief’s description taking a package from an apartment building at the 400 block of Desplaines Avenue. As the officer approached the woman, she put the package back by the door. The officer saw that the wagon was “filled with items that were wrapped for shipping.” The woman claimed that all those packages were hers, and that, since she put the package that the officer saw her take back where she took it, she’d done nothing wrong.
The victim of the Beloit Avenue theft confirmed that two of the packages in the wagon were hers. The victims decided not to sign complaints against the thief because they got their packages back.
The officer took the remaining packages to the police station, telling the woman that she could have the items if she brought in receipts confirming those packages were hers.
Damage to car
Two teens threw a lit firework at a passing driver after he spotted them trying to set the firework off, police said.
The victim said that on Dec. 23, he was driving his blue 2014 Jeep Cherokee south on Harlem Avenue. As he approached the Dixon Street intersection at around 12:04 a.m., he spotted two teens lighting a firework. The victim said that the firework flew at his car, hitting the rear passenger-side door. He then saw them run west on Dixon Street.
The victim said it was too dark for him to make out any of the teens’ physical features, so he couldn’t provide a description. The officers responding to a call saw a dent on the door where the firework hit.
The victim said he’d be willing to press charges if the teens were located.
Bike thefts
Two mountain bikes stolen from Dunlop Avenue – one on Christmas Eve and one the day after.
On Christmas Eve, the thieves stole the Huffy Highland brand 26-inch black mountain bike chained to the porch. The victim’s mother noticed the theft at around 4:30 p.m. She said that the bike was worth $149, and she didn’t have its serial number.
On Dec. 26, the second victim left her bike in the building’s backyard. She last saw it at around 5 p.m. and realized that it was missing at round 5:30 p.m. The victim described her bike as a mountain bike with a white frame and neon green rims, but she couldn’t remember its make and model. She said it was worth around $600.
Attempted vehicle theft
Someone tried to steal a black 2011 Hyundai SUV parked at the victim’s house on Ferdinand Avenue.
On Dec. 21 at around 6 a.m., the victim saw that the Hyundai’s rear passenger side window was broken, and its steering column was peeled. The victim said that nothing was stolen from the car.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, Dec. 18-26, 2023, 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 Igor Studenkov