Stolen SUV Found Via 'Italia' License Plate Holder In Naperville

NAPERVILLE, IL — A Naperville resident took to social media in a last ditch effort to find their stolen SUV, not expecting that the vehicle's distinctive license plate holder would help community members track it down just a day later. The 2018 Jeep Cherokee, which had a license plate holder that read "Italia," was stolen on July 26 and located by another resident on July 27 who had read the owner's desperate plea on a Facebook group, Chicago Tribune reports.

The car had been stolen after the owner accidentally left it unlocked with the keys inside. A Bolingbrook resident who had seen a post about the vehicle on the Facebook group "What's Happening in Naperville?" had to do a double-take when she saw the SUV — with its memorable "Italia" plate holder — parked on the street near her daughter's house in the 100 block of Encina Dr., according to Chicago Tribune.

She then double-checked the Facebook post before calling police, who confirmed that the SUV she spotted had indeed been reported stolen. Police say the incident is still under investigation.

This is the first of two times in a week that Naperville residents recently helped each other out during a criminal incident. The second took place downtown when community members detained a man who had snatched a woman's purse.

More via Chicago Tribune

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