Burglars Ram Vehicle Through Store Window, Steal $40,000 in High-End Merchandise: Cops

Photos taken from surveillance video of the early morning burglary at the Salvatore Ferragamo store. Credit: Aurora police.

Aurora Police are investigating an early morning burglary in which a vehicle was used to ram through the front window of a high-end department store.

The burglars ended up making off with about $40,000 in purses and luggage and causing $20,000 damage to the store, police said.

The burglary occurred at about 4:30 a.m. Tuesday at Salvatore Ferragamo, located in the Chicago Premium Outlets Mall in the 1600 block of Premium Outlets Boulevard.

As Aurora police were responding to an alarm at the store, they located a Dodge Grand Caravan with heavy front-end damage parked on Premium Outlets Boulevard. Police said the vehicle’s doors were open and several purses were inside and outside the Caravan. When additional officers went to the Ferragamo store, they found the exterior entrance smashed in, with tire prints leading into the business, according to police.

Pictures from security cameras show at least four offenders loading store merchandise into the vehicle after it smashes through the front window, police said.

Upon further investigation, police said they learned that a mall security guard who was also responding to the alarm spotted the Caravan where officers found it, but he apparently was not at a vantage point where he could see the damage to the vehicle so he continued on to the store.

The security guard reportedly told police that when he spotted the vehicle, there was a dark-colored sedan parked next to the Caravan with at least two people moving about around the vehicles.

Police said they believe the burglars were able to back the Caravan out of the store, transfer the merchandise to the other vehicle, and flee before police arrived.

Police said the Caravan, which was reported stolen in Chicago, is being processed by Aurora Police Evidence Technicians.

Anyone with information should call Aurora Police Investigations at (630) 256-5500 or Aurora Area Crime Stoppers at (630) 892-1000. Calls to Crime Stoppers are anonymous and qualify for a cash reward of up to $5000 for information that leads to any arrests. Tips can also be submitted through the Aurora Police Department’s free app available through iTunes, the Android Market, or Amazon App Store. Simply search for “My Police Department”, find the Aurora Police, and download.