Kidnappings, Armed Robberies May Be Linked: Sheriff

NEW LENOX, IL — A New Lenox man was abducted from his driveway and held at gunpoint as four masked suspects used his bank card at several stores in a case that may be linked to an abduction in Frankfort, the Will County Sheriff's Office said.

The sheriff's office received a call about a missing man in New Lenox Township at 8:10 a.m. Nov. 29. Police said after speaking with family and conducting an initial investigation, they determined the man was leaving for work around 6 a.m. when he was abducted from his driveway.

At 11:08 a.m., deputies were told the missing man had been dropped off in Indiana, where he was found unharmed.

According to police, four men wearing ski masks directed the victim at gunpoint to an SUV. The man remained inside the vehicle while the abductors made several stops at stores using his bank card.

Police believe this incident is related to a similar armed robbery and abduction that happened in Frankfort Nov. 16. That incident happened at a bank at 5:50 a.m. when a woman at the ATM was approached by a man with a gun. She was forced to access her accounts for cash, and was driven around for three hours in her own car with three people, who made stops at stores to use her bank card.

The woman was also unharmed and was dropped off in Chicago with her car, police said.

The individuals involved in the New Lenox incident were fully masked, with only their eyes showing, when they were inside the stores. The suspects did individual gift card transactions to avoid a fraud alert, police said.

The photos above are from the Frankfort Police Department and are believed to be the suspects involved in the Nov. 16 armed robbery and abduction, police said.

The Will County Sheriff’s Office and the Frankfort Police Department are asking residents to be extra cautious of their surroundings while detectives continue their "intense investigation into these crimes."

If anyone has information regarding these incidents, or can identify the subjects in the photos, call the Will County Sheriff's Office at 815-727-8574 or the Frankfort Police Department at 815-469-9435.