Elmhurst Woman Victim Of Ruse Burglary: Police

ELMHURST, IL — An Elmhurst woman was returning home from walking her dog Monday afternoon when she saw a black work van with tinted windows parked in her driveway, according to an Elmhurst police report. She lives in the 500 block of Crockett Avenue.

The driver approached the woman and said he needed to check the water heater in her basement, police said. While she was in the basement with the suspect, she heard footsteps on the ground level of the house, the report said.

After the man left, the woman was missing an envelope containing money.

The man who went into the basement was described as white, 5 feet, 7 inches, having an average build, and wearing a yellow construction vest and hat. Another man was seen in the front passenger seat of the van, but his description was unavailable.

A ruse burglary is when one person distracts the homeowner while another enters the house and commits theft.

Ruse burglaries have happened in Elmhurst and nearby suburbs over the last year. Elmhurst Patch wrote about such a burglary in Elmhurst in August.